Hope Is Lost
by naughtydogfanatic
Summary: In this world full of nightmares, there's very little room to live. Ellie lives when she can, simply existing the rest of the time. A certain blonde appears and Ellie is met with a new sensation. Her world is full of color and life for the first time. But, all good things must come to an end. (FEMSLASH! Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Last Of Us' or any of the game's content.)
1. Chapter 1

This story MAY contain depictions of violence and possible sexual themes. TRIGGER WARNING: Story may contain suicide/suicide attempts. Reader discretion is advised.

* * *

A/N: This is my first story on this site. Leave some reviews and let me know what you think! In this story, I'll be using the image of Ellie that we saw in 'The Last Of Us Part II Reveal Trailer'. This will be set four years after the 'The Last Of Us' with Ellie and Joel still living in Jackson. So, Ellie is 18.

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Last Of Us' or any of the game's content. I am simply playing around in that fictional world.

And with that, enjoy!

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"What the fuck?"

Ellie stared in bewilderment at the decrepit bedroom before her. Only moments ago she had checked this room. Every drawer was shut, the closet door was locked. It hadn't been touched. And as she returned from clearing the rest of the house to snatch whatever she and Joel could use, she discovers the room had been torn apart in the time she was gone.

Every drawer was opened with useless papers and other miscellaneous items pouring out of it. From the closet, t shirts and button downs had been pulled out and tossed across the room in a hurry, only a few hangers were bare, signaling some clothing items had been taken.

Instinctively, Ellie reached for her handgun snug on her hip. She whipped it out, spun on her heel, and stood her ground, inching down the hall of the empty townhouse. A discolored pink rug beneath her feet muffled her footsteps. The smell of old wood wafted through the whole home. Years of aging hadn't been too tough on the place but wood will be wood and as she paused for a moment in the hall, Ellie could hear a loud creak coming from behind the door only a few feet in front of her on the right.

Ellie steadied her hand as she pressed it against the door, careful not to make a sound as she tried to listen to what was happening inside.

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit.. C'mon!" Jane whimpered. Time was running low and her hands were shaking too much for her to rifle through items at a quick enough pace. "Condoms, floss, socks.. Fuck!" She cursed herself, shoving the drawer closed with a 'bam!'.

Jane stood up, straightening her figure as she paced back and forth in the bedroom. She'd already gone through most of the house and couldn't seem to find one damn first aid kit. Within all three bedrooms, a kitchen, a basement, a living room, and two bathrooms, she only gathered a couple antibiotics, some peroxide, and some shirts that could be used as makeshift bandages. All she had left to check was the garage she spotted when she had rushed inside, but was there even time left for that? The teen grabbed her blonde, slightly blood stained, shoulder length hair, fisting it as she mumbled, trying to figure out how much time she had left to ransack the other houses neighboring this one.

Would he make it? Was there time? They wouldn't move if she wasn't yet back with what they needed.. would they?

* * *

Ellie pulled her ear back from the door, chuckling quietly at the frazzled words of whoever stood behind it. Go time.

She took a strong stance before lifting her boot, kicking open the door with such force she could hear the lock crack and part of the door frame fly across the room. "Hands in the fuckin' air!" She boomed. Her gun was raised and aimed right at the figure before her. She gulped as she took in the image of the person stood before her.

The girl had well kept blonde waves that ended just past her shoulders. Her skin was tan from the summer sun. The piercing blue eyes stood out amongst the colors she held. She sported a brown tank top that hugged her matured figure, outlining the curve of her waist. Her blue skinny jeans lay clad against strong legs. A knife lay in a sheath placed conveniently through a belt loop on her right hip. There was a beige knapsack on the floor, an array of items peeking out from the undone fold. Ellie took notice that the girl's clothes had been covered with a streak of blood, as if it had been sprayed in a hurry across her, so wildly that it had dampened her chest and hair as well.

She was stunning, to say the least. But she ransacked the fucking house.

Ellie refocused, her hands gripping even tighter to her weapon. The stranger gulped, her hands raised next to her head. Ellie motioned with a nod to the mess of stuff that was littered around the desk against the wall. "You did that?" The blonde gulped, glancing over at the mess she had made, almost wanting to shake her head and try to lie her way out of this. She opted to nod truthfully, deciding now was not the best time to play any tricks. "Knife, on the ground. Now." Ellie ordered, her gaze unfaltering. The order was obeyed and the previously sheathed knife was tossed to the floor. It landed with a soft thud on the rug.

"What's your na-"

"Jane. M-My name is Jane." Her raised hands were trembling even more than before now. Jane finally looked directly at the girl holding the gun, noting she looked to be the same age as herself. Behind the weapon stood a girl with light brown hair and icy green orbs. She had cuts on her cheek and forehead, a very thin layer of blood smeared across her cheek. It was so thin that the color mixed in with her freckles, her face looking ever rosier than it was naturally. Half of her hair was pulled up. A few strands hung in her face. The short hair that didn't make it up was stuck to her neck with sweat. A black backpack hung on her shoulders.

As Jane's focus teared away from the gun once again, she took in what this girl was wearing. A blue button up with all buttons undone was placed over a grey t-shirt. Black jeans that fit a little loosely and converse on her feet. Her eyes widened only for a moment as she noticed the soles of the sneakers were stained with blood. "Hey. Hey, eyes on me." Jane quickly refocused her attention on the face behind the gun.

"Jane, I don't know if you fuckin' knew, but I cleared this house. And you took what I came to get. So," Ellie took small side steps towards the knapsack. "I'm gonna take what I need and be on my way." Ellie leaned down, the gun's barrel still focused on Jane. The minute Ellie touched one of the t-shirts...

"NO!" Jane shrieked, diving from the line of fire towards the knapsack. "Don't touch it!" She landed on her hip and kicked out Ellie's feet from underneath her. As Ellie fell on her rear with a thud, Jane scrambled to close the bag. "Goddammit-" Ellie was back on her feet in an instant.

She reached for Jane's hair and gripped her scalp. Jane's head was yanked back, a yelp spilling from her lips, her arm flying up. She managed to whack the gun from Ellie's tight grip. It slid across the floor and hit the wall about five feet away. Ellie released Jane's hair in a rough push and dove for the gun. The moment she pointed it at Jane once again, the blonde's hand was only inches from her knife. "Don't fuckin' move! Touch the knife and I'll blow your head off!"

Jane's eyes were wide with fear as she glanced between the gun and the knife. She pursed her lips together. In defeat, she pulled her hand back from the weapon. Ellie scrambled to get up, stomping back to Jane and pushing her by the back of her head.

"Open the bag. Open it!" Ellie shoved Jane to her knees and pressed the barrel of the weapon to the back of her head. As Jane quickly opened the bag and turned it over, allowing the contents to spill across the rug, Ellie saw a large scrape across Jane's upper back. It was dirty, peeking out from the tear in Jane's shirt, and still quite fresh, but the blood had dried around it. She guessed whatever happened with the blood splattered across the front of her body also caused this.

Suddenly, Ellie softened slightly.

Some tears had fallen from Jane's stained cheeks onto the light carpet beneath them. She cried silently. A blank expression graced her face.

Jane had lost hope that her group would wait for her. This girl had slowed her down too much and was now stealing her supplies. Even if she did make it back in time before they moved, they'd be angry because she'd return without their much needed aid. Once she was done spreading out the supplies over the floor, she felt the gun press a little softer against her skull.

Then, a hand was placed on her back. Directly over a fresh wound.

"What's this from?"

Jane hissed at the stinging sensation evoked by the girl's touch, hunching over and whimpering once again. Ellie quickly removed her hand, feeling some sort of need to ease the pain she'd caused. She kept her gun in hand as she knelt down besides Jane.

"To make things easier, call me Ellie. What's that from?" Ellie spoke, a hint of worry in her tone. Since returning to Jackson with Joel a few years back, she learned to be more compassionate. Jackson wasn't a ruthless environment like Boston and sure didn't have people as paranoid as Bill or sick as David. Infected came rarely, giving everyone time to sit back and be civilized people, something a lot of them hadn't had in a long time. Ellie, though tough and hardened, learned to trust and care. She had even made friends with some people near her age. But, after Riley, Ellie could feel a small pang in her stomach if she ever got close to one of them. So, she never did.

But here she was, trying to talk to an injured girl, trying to help. She may not have been in Jackson at this very moment, but their values don't disappear once you leave the walls.

She heard Jane sniffle. "I fell." Ellie glanced at the wound again. "Fell how? You don't get that bad of a wound from tripping over a rock." She joked.

Jane clenched her eyes shut. She didn't want to relive what happened only hours ago. "I uh.. I was in a car with a few other people. We ran into some Infected and skidded off the main road. My door, um, unlatched and swung open somehow and the seat belts were broken so I went flying once we hit a bump. I slid on my back on the street for a couple seconds."

"What happened after that? You should be resting, not out here looting places." Jane listened to Ellie's words. She shook her head and sat up slowly, trying not to move in any way that could pull at the scrape. "The others ran to a house a few blocks away from here, away from lots of Infected. When they ran away, one of 'em, my friend Emmett, shouted at me to go get anything that could help." Jane wiped the tears from her cheeks, sitting up. "Come to think of it, his leg wasn't working well then. Sure as hell isn't working now."

Ellie sighed. She mulled over what to do, coming to the decision that she couldn't kill Jane. While killing in cold blood was not foreign to her what with her past, she couldn't bring herself to keep the barrel against Jane's head and pull the trigger.

"That scrape is deeper than you think, Jane. Let's just.. get you patched up, I guess."


	2. Chapter 2

This story MAY contain depictions of violence and possible sexual themes. TRIGGER WARNING: Story may contain suicide/suicide attempts. Reader discretion is advised.

* * *

A/N: Hello! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Here's some information about future updates!

First, there isn't exactly an updating schedule. I'm basically just gonna update when the creative juices are flowing, ya know? Hope this is okay! I don't want to have to force out a chapter that I'm not proud of.

Second, I am a huge fan of the soundtrack for the first game. Although there are variations on some of the tracks when they're used in the game, I am simply infatuated with the music. So, I think I'll be using some of the music from the game in this story. I'll put a little note in the chapter of what you should play at what I find to be the right moment to play it. I'll be testing this in upcoming chapters and if it works out, I'll continue to do it. Let me know what you think of this idea!

Enjoy!

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Chapter 2

"Aaaand.. there." Ellie dabbed the last bit of peroxide over Jane's wound. The blonde's teeth were digging into a towel, keeping her from biting her tongue or hissing from the sting of Ellie's care.

A t-shirt was torn and pressed carefully to the scrape. Maneuvered around her shoulders and chest, it was tied to form something like a bandage. Jane groaned and bit down on the towel even harder. Her jaw aching, she took a deep breath in and out through her nose. She pulled the towel from her mouth and barely managed to get out, "Thank you, but this fucking hurts." then threw the towel to the floor. "I know, but, you should be healed for the most part in a couple days. Now, Jane." Ellie moved from her spot behind the girl, crouching down in front of her. She rested her elbows on her knees. "Where's this group of yours?"

Jane looked up. "I'm not gonna tell you. I appreciate your help, Ellie. But-." She cut herself off as she saw Ellie reach for the last bottle of peroxide.

"Then, I guess I'll be on my way with this." Jane's eyes widened tremendously. That medicine was one of the most important things to her at this moment, it could literally save lives. She quickly blurted out "Yellow house!" Ellie turned back to Jane. Her fingertips were still wrapped around the bottle. "I'm gonna need more than that."

"When they were running, Emmett screamed something like 'Yellow house!'. I don't.. I don't know if he was saying it to me or to them. They got maybe, like, three blocks away and then I couldn't see them anymore. I was in the middle of some side street by myself." Jane took her gaze to the dried blood across her lap. "I could hear Infected coming so I ran as far as my legs could take me. I barely remember where I was before."

There were tons of colored houses in this neighborhood. Ellie had been to this area multiple times with Joel over the course of four years, usually to clear out Infected or find any supplies that may have been looked over. Not surprisingly, this particular instance wasn't her first time out alone. The neighborhood wasn't too large, but there were small nooks and crannies that could be easily overlooked if one didn't pay careful attention. "Do you remember anything about the area around you? Maybe a car or another house? Any flowers?" Ellie questioned. As much as she wanted to grab the stuff and leave, she couldn't help but listen to the panic and fear in Jane's voice and feel some obligation to help her. Whether it was the blonde's beauty or her own humanity, she was pulled in.

Jane chewed on her lower lip. She closed her eyes and dove into her memory. "There was a.. a uh.. I think it was blue? A blue sedan. The um, uh, front windshield. It's cracked, like something fell on it."

"Anything else?"

"Uh.. ah.. no." Jane opened her eyes.

Ellie glanced between the items strewn across the floor and the blue irises that stared up at her. Her hands quickly moved to place the items back in the knapsack. She closed it as well as she could then threw it onto Jane's lap. "C'mon. Let's go find that car."

* * *

The two trekked down the quiet streets, occasionally poking around in cars that could be what Jane had pictured. But Jane would insist the car was bigger or smaller, a lighter blue. That it wasn't parked on the side of the street, it was sitting right in the middle.

It was just short of an hour into their adventure when Ellie came to a halt, hearing an all too familiar clicking. "Shit." she spat quietly. She grabbed a confused Jane by the wrist, pulling her behind a red van. The perplexed blonde questioned her immediately as she landed roughly on her bottom. "What the hell?"

"SSH!" Ellie pulled Jane's back tightly against her chest so the girl was fully behind the car. There was no attention given to the stinging of Jane's back as pressure was put on the wound. Ellie clamped her hand over Jane's mouth, ignoring her squirms as she looked over the hood of the vehicle they concealed themselves with. There was only one clicker a few feet away. _Easy_ , Ellie thought. She looked down into Jane's eyes and placed a finger over her lips. The motion was understood and once Ellie removed her hand, there was silence.

Once she had gotten to a stable stance, Ellie moved her hand to her hip. She had the knife Jane gave up earlier, sneakily snatching it from the floor once they began exiting the house. She gripped the handle tightly. The minute there was only about three feet between her and the monster, she pounced. The creature was tackled to the ground. It shrieked and flailed wildly under Ellie's weight. Desperately trying to reach back and claw at Ellie, just for even a nibble of her delectable flesh. It's wish was not granted as the strong girl raised her arm, knife in hand, and plunged the blade into its head. She pulled it out and sunk it back in twice until the grotesque thing ceased to move. Ellie sat up then, listening closely to the silence. Waiting for something to dare to break it.

She relaxed. "We're clear." Lifting herself off the corpse, she called "You can come out now, ya know."

Jane poked her head out from behind the red van, clinging to its mirror for dear life. She'd seen Infected killed before; hell, she'd killed a few. But, never like that. Something in Ellie's movements, whether it be the skill she possessed or the reckless abandon she exhibited, made Jane curious about the other teen. The blonde stood up and took a quick check of the area before she walked over. She looked over the corpse. "That was.. I.." Ellie chuckled. She slipped the knife back into its sheath. "Yea, yea, you're welcome. C'mon, we don't wanna stick around if this guy had friends." Jane nodded quickly, her cheeks a little pinker than before, following after a jogging Ellie.

* * *

"Ellie!" Jane's call snapped Ellie out of her walking daze and she regained focus on their path. "What?"

"There, that's the car!" Green eyes followed a pale finger to where it pointed and sure enough, there was a blue sedan with a terribly cracked windshield sitting smack in the middle of the street. She turned her head to look at the surrounding area. "Okay so, you were here before. Wait, you ran all that way in, what, like twenty minutes? We just walked for over an hour!" Ellie exclaimed. The strong legs she took notice of before consciously flexed under the skinny jeans. They were good for something. Jane shrugged, "I'm almost always running from something or someone so I guess I got pretty good at it after a while. I don't kill all that often. I can rarely do what you did to that.. thing back there."

"Clicker, it's called a clicker. It hears using sound so- ya know what, not the time to explain this. Time to remember." Ellie walked over to the blue car and brushed a thin layer of dirt off the hood before taking a seat. The old metal squeaked slightly under her weight. "So.. you saw this blue car. Well, where were you when you saw it?"

Jane brought a hand up to her face and tapped her lips with her finger in thought. "I was.. Well, lemme think." She began mumbling small phrases to herself. " _Skid skid skid.. run.. here.. then there.. then.. saw the car._. from the front. I saw it from the front so I was probably right about.." Jane looked at Ellie and took a few steps back and to her right. "Here."

"Okay, and where was Evan?"

"Emmett."

"Same thing, where was he?" She turned slowly and scanned over the area. "If I was here, after I skidded.. Infected followed them down that street, I think." Jane pointed to a side street that seemed to extend beyond their line of sight. _Must be those three blocks_ , Ellie assumed. "Yea.. that's it. Emmett almost tripped over that board on the sidewalk. He was looking back at me while he ran." Jane's eyes shifted to Ellie, who was still focused on the street. "I guess we should look for yellow houses that way." Ellie stood up and turned to walk in the right direction. "Yea, yellow houses. And infected."

Jane gulped.

 _Shit_.

* * *

"No way, really?" Jane gasped in awe. Ellie grinned and tightened her backpack straps a little. "Yes way. I even got close enough to pet one. Giraffes were probably the very last thing I expected to see that day. Possibly the coolest moment of my life. View was great, too." The two walked down the street side by side, chatting away as time went by in a flash.

"That's unbelievable. In fact, I don't believe it." Jane giggled, her hands in her pockets. "Oh yea? Well, you can ask-." Ellie stopped before she mentioned Joel when she realized she didn't know what to do after they found Jane's group. Would they go their separate ways? Would they return to Jackson with her? It's not like there was any reason to. There was a simple fight, patch up, and a bit of a hike to find the others. No attachment. But, Ellie went from nearly shooting the girl a couple hours ago to laughing and discussing herself, something she rarely did. She didn't want to lose this but, it wasn't yet hers to keep.

On the way here, they'd only run into a couple Infected.

Jane hid behind cars and other demolished things. She watched the way Ellie moved with ease, appreciating stray hairs that framed her face in a way that only appeared in the sunshine. Somehow, she managed to ignore the blood that occasionally sprayed over Ellie's face. The drops of liquid mixed in with the freckles that graced her cheeks.

Ellie took the Infected out easily with the blade, the one she hadn't yet returned to Jane. She made every effort to save the ammo in her handgun. Ellie would be lost in her own world as she fought. Whenever her palms grabbed the decaying flesh of a walking corpse, she'd unleash small bits of rage. She'd be blinded by red.

"Earth to Ellie? Helloooo?"

The brunette was ripped from her thoughts as she looked up. Jane was snapping in front of her face, attempting to grab Ellie's attention from whatever distracted her. "Hey," Ellie swatted Jane's hand away. She pushed her hair out of her face, "don't do that. What?"

"I was saying your name for a solid minute right in front of you. You didn't hear me?"

"No, not really. I was thinking. What, what is it?"

"Look." Jane pointed to a small yellow house all the way at the dead end of the street. The soft roar of Infected could be heard from that general area. Hearing this, Ellie equipped the blade once more. A small slightly blood-stained hand stretched out in front of her. She was confused, "What?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "My knife. I'd like it back now."

"What? No." Ellie shook her head and pushed past Jane. "You don't need it right now."

"What if I get fucking bit?"

"Then I'll shoot you, problem solved."

Ellie got a glare for that one. "What if they're in trouble?"

"Stop. We're wasting time arguing because I'm not gonna budge." Ellie jogged down the street, leaving Jane to bite on her lower lip angrily, then sigh and follow after her, fists at the ready.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The two stayed close to one another. The moaning of the undead plagued their ears as they neared the decrepit home.

Ellie quickly unsheathed the knife and managed to get a couple that wandered aimlessly near the doorway. The porch creaked as the two stepped onto it and opened the front door, allowing themselves in.

"Ellie!" Jane exclaimed. Runners tackled them the second they opened the door. Ellie sunk the blade deep into the first one's skull. She grimaced as blood squirted onto her chest. "You fuckin-"

"Get the fuck off me!" Jane screamed. After hearing Jane's cry, Ellie pushed the limp corpse off of herself and hopped up in an instant. The monster's teeth were snapping closer to Jane's delicate face. The smell of its breath almost made Jane hurl up what little food was left in her stomach right at that moment. But, she had to focus on fighting for her life. She kicked the creature off of her, almost hitting Ellie with it in the process but thankfully, she had the sense to move out of the way. Jane was on her feet in a second and as if she possessed some super human power, she grabbed the runner by the back of the head and smashed it's skull into a wall.

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG! CRUSH! *thud***_

The body fell to the floor. Jane whipped around to face Ellie and snatched the blade from her hand, cutting her forearm accidentally in her blind behavior.

"What the- Hey!" Ellie watched as Jane stomped around the house. Names she'd never heard before echoed through the rooms. Ellie followed behind Jane, trying to grab the knife back from her and failing as the blonde evaded her grasp with her astounding speed.

"Anna? Charlie, where are you? Shit.. Emmett?! LENA?! _ANYBODY?!_ " Jane stormed through the lower level of the house. Once she had come out from the kitchen, Ellie hot on her tail, her eyes darted to the staircase. She quickly sprinted up the steps, even skipping a couple at a time. Her mix of hope and panic fueled her energy.

"Jane! Slow down, Jane, you're fucking bleeding!" Ellie called. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to keep with the pace of the other girl.

Jane heard nothing. She gripped the handle of the knife so tightly, her knuckles were beginning to turn white. Finally, she heard a pained groan come from a room at the far end of the hall. Her feet moved faster than ever before. She kicked the door open, her eyes widening. Jane quickly rushed to the only living figure on the floor, pushing black hair back from a bloodied forehead.

"Jane! How do ya.. Oh my god.. How do you run so fuckin' fast?" A breathless Ellie said as she caught up. She took a step into the room behind Jane. "Don't do tha-.." Ellie stopped as she finally saw the other girl. "Jane?"

 _(_ _ **The Last of Us (You and Me) - Gustavo Santaolalla**_ _. Play from this point till the end of the chapter.)_

There were six bodies on the floor. Two clickers, four humans. Both clickers had their heads blown to bits. There was a skinny white girl that looked a little younger than Jane spread onto the bed. Huge bites were taken out of her stomach and a pool of blood had formed around her. The two others, a stocky middle aged black man and a petite young asian woman had faced the same, equally as vicious wounds. The man laid at the foot of the bed, the woman's back was propped against the wall opposite the door. Only one human was living, the one Jane was hunched over. Jane was panicking, dumping all the contents of her knapsack in a pile next to her. She untied the shirt that covered the stinging scrape on her back and pressed it against the gash above his right brow. She ruffled through the items on the floor, pulling out a bottle of water and holding it to this stranger's lips for him to drink. It was a boy, more like a man, with dark eyes and jet black hair. He was white as a ghost from the blood loss. Ellie guessed this was Emmett. Jane continued to tend to the man who looked to be in his mid-20s. She pulled one of the clean t-shirts out and tore it into smaller strips with her teeth, dumping some peroxide onto one strip and placing it over the wound on his forehead. "C'mon, c'mon.."

"Shit," he hissed from the stinging of the medicine, the one thing that seemed to fully bring him to consciousness. He tried to sit up but failed, falling flat on his back, his handgun flopping from his stomach onto the floor.

"Emmett? Emmett, it's Jane, please don't try to get up. You're hurt." Jane said. She looked up at Ellie, who was still regaining her breath, and smiled. "Look, this is Ellie. She helped me get here, helped me find you." Emmett turned his head as best he could to look at the person standing in the door frame. He spat out some of his own blood on the rug to clear his mouth and mumbled, "Thank you." Then, he turned back to Jane. This movement made his pounding head wound worse, drawing a loud groan from him. Jane chewed her lower lip in worry. She dug through her pile of items once again, placing a dry bandage over the dampened one on his head, tearing off small strips of scotch tape with her teeth and fastening the bandage against his skin. "Let me look at you, what hurts?"

Emmett grumbled something that sounded like "stomach" and Jane went to work unbuttoning his tattered shirt. But his hands immediately gripped her wrists before she could get past the second button. "No. Don't.. please-."

Jane looked down at him, completely bewildered by his resistance, and tore her bony wrists from his tight hold. "Don't be stupid. I need to see your stomach, Em." And she went to work unbuttoning the shirt again. Emmett began to kick his legs and buck his hips in an attempt to knock Jane away from him. "Stop, stop!" He cried.

Jane was at the last couple of buttons now. "Emmett, I'm almost done," She spread the fabric away from his skin. "Fucking rela-" She froze.

The bite was huge.

Ellie had regained her breath completely and was watching the scene unfold in front of her. The minute she saw the bite, she scrambled to point her handgun directly at Emmett's head.

"Ellie, stop!" Jane leaned over Emmett's stomach and in a flash, sh _e_ had Emmett's handgun pointing directly at Ellie's head.

"Jane, he's infected. He could turn any minute, you've been away from him for hours."

"I-I can fix this. I.." Her lower lip quivered and she bit it harshly, trying to hold back a river of tears as she turned her head to look down at Emmett. "I have to fix this."

He struggled as he reached up to take Jane's wrist again. Softer than before. He swallowed and whispered quietly to her, "There's one bullet left." His lower lip quivered just as hers did. Tears rolled down his dirty cheeks. "Please, Jane." His other hand gently cupped her face, smearing blood across her cheekbones as he tried to wipe some of her tears away, tears that finally dared to pour over. She leaned into his warm palm, her eyes fluttering shut, tears still falling and mixing in with the blood from his hand. "Don't.. Don't let that happen to me. I'm beggin' you."

Jane let a sob spill from her lips as she heard the hint of Kentucky left in him. "I can't, Em."

He inhaled sharply. "I want.. you t-to do it, Jane." He spit up a bit more blood. Some of it had mixed into his scruffy beard. "Only you."

"I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I didn't come back in time. Please forgive me.." She rambled. "Oh god, p-please." The lump in her throat made her hiccup as she spoke. "Stop." Emmett spoke clearly. "Jane.. Jane, baby, there's nothin' you coulda' done. Now.." He inhaled again, grunting slightly from the pain he went through to get these last few words out. "Let me.. lemme escape this misery, huh?"

Jane took gasping breaths. She moved the gun's aim from Ellie to Emmett. The barrel was pressed to his forehead. The gun shook in the girl's grip.

Ellie's gun was pointed at the two of them. Jane's gun was pointed at Emmett. Emmett's eyes took in all of Jane.

And with the pull of Jane's finger and a _**BANG!**_ , he was gone.

Jane let the gun fall from her hand and onto the floor next to his head. She finally let herself break down as she rested her head on Emmett's chest. Her whole body shook with her sobs, her hands balled into fists.

All the light had gone from his eyes. She looked up at his pale skin and saw his eyes still open. Jane sniffled and calmed her sobbing. Reaching up, she used two fingers to bring his eyelids over his eyes. With all the love and care in her heart, she pressed a soft kiss to his ice cold cheek.

Ellie had lowered her gun as she watched this.

"Jane?"

"It's your fault."

Ellie felt her cheeks burn red from surprise. "What?" Jane looked up at Ellie and sniffled again. She stood up and stepped over Emmett's body, taking a few steps closer to Ellie.

"It's your fault I didn't get here in time."

"Jane, you couldn't ha-"

"YES, I COULD HAVE." Jane boomed. Her face was red with anger. Hot tears trickled down her cheeks, tears she was sick of crying. "We spent a good fucking hour in that fucking room. If you left me the fuck alone, then _this,"_ she turned, motioning to the corpses that were scattered around the room, "wouldn't have happened. I could've been here, I could've helped!"

Ellie gulped and shifted her gaze to her shoes. Jane was right. "I'm sorry."

"That's great, Ellie. That's real fuckin' great." Jane shook her head and patted her cheeks a few times. After a few moments, she regained her composure.

"Let's go."

Ellie's head snapped up. "What?"

"I said, let's go."

"Where?"

"Wherever you belong, I guess. Ain't no other fuckin' place to go."

Ellie bit her lip for a moment, thinking about this decision. Then, she glanced at Jane's face.

Jane's blue eyes were bloodshot and tired. She had muscle but, she was obviously malnourished. The cut on her forearm that she got from snatching the knife earlier had only gotten larger. The blood was trailing down her arm. It had smeared around her hand in all the movement and Jane's palm was covered in a uneasy red.

To say the least, the girl needed help.

It would only be humane for Ellie to take Jane back to Jackson.

Ellie nodded. "Okay. Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Since Jackson has electricity run by a hydroelectric dam, I'm gonna hope for the best and give them some plumbing. Hope you don't mind. 333_

 _Also, this may be a little longer than usual as so far, these first chapters have all been set in the same day! So, I'll be trying to finish the first day in this chapter. ( :_

* * *

Jane sat outside on the hood of a car while Ellie stayed in the room for a few minutes longer. She gathered Jane's supplies and put it in the beige knapsack, swinging it over her shoulder as she proceeded to exit the house.

When she stepped outside, she was happy to smell fresh air instead of blood and rotting flesh. Ellie walked over to Jane and, just as she had done a few hours prior, plopped the knapsack onto her lap. "You forgot this." Jane nodded and put the bag on her back. She slid off the car and brushed off her pants. "Lead the way." There was a cold tone in the blonde's voice.

"Listen, about what happ-"

"Don't. Just, don't." Jane spat.

Ellie was reminded of the times Joel had denied her to speak about certain things. She remembered how he completely forbade the topic of Tess. When she wanted to talk about Sam and deal with her emotions, he prohibited speaking about the dead whatsoever.

In a way, she saw some of the older man in Jane.

They began their walk back to Jackson.

* * *

"Well, here we are." Ellie stood atop the rocks. She gestured with her arm over the city. Some of the lights were already on as the sun had begun to set, the sky painted a warm burnt orange. They were standing in the same place she and Joel stood when they returned four years ago. Jane grinned as she saw the city, briefly forgetting her anger towards the other girl. "That's.. wow. This, this is nothing like a quarantine zone." Ellie smiled at her excitement.

"It's nice. It's quiet and everybody is pretty happy. We deal with a few bandit raids and some Infected here and there but, it gets taken care of." Ellie glanced at Jane, who was looking up at the sky in awe, and grinned, then looked back at the city. "C'mon, let's get inside before sundown."

Jane nodded and hopped down the rocks with Ellie. After another few minutes of walking, they came to a large set of steel doors with barbed wire at the top. Ellie gave the door a few hard pounds. "Now, this isn't the main city entrance. This is the entrance to the plant but, I like coming through here better."

Ellie pounded on the door again, calling out "Maria! It's me, lemme in!"

"Alright, hold your horses!" A woman's voice chuckled. In a moment, the large doors opened and welcomed the two inside. Immediately, the click of guns could be heard as Maria and a few others noticed Jane trailing in behind Ellie.

Quickly, the brunette had to act. She jumped in front of Jane and held up her arms in caution. "Hey, hey. She's a.. a friend."

Maria's eyes darted between the two from behind her revolver. "Ellie, are you sure?"

In all honesty, Ellie wasn't so sure if Jane could be trusted what with her current emotional stability- or lack thereof but, she had to be helped either way.

Ellie glanced back at Jane and the two locked eyes. Jane gulped. Her expression was riddled with fear, her eyes pleaded with Ellie for help. Ellie nodded slowly and turned back to Maria.

"Absolutely."

* * *

"No." Jane grumbled.

"Either this or you stay on the outside with those fuckers." Ellie sighed in her argument with the blonde. The two stood on the porch of a red wood house. The paint was aging and peeling a bit off the house itself. Crickets chirped all around. The night sky was littered with stars and one shimmering moon. The harsh artificial light of the street lamp they stood under made them both a bit uncomfortable.

There was no spare house in the city as Tommy, whom Jane had met earlier after barrels upon barrels of weapons no longer aimed at her, hadn't yet given an order to expand and claim more of the Jackson County land. Jane didn't have a bed to her name. But, Ellie was kind enough to offer a spare bed in the house she and Joel claimed when Jackson became home.

Jane bit her lower lip and looked down at her shoes, digging the toe of her black sneakers into the dirt under her feet. As much as she didn't want to stay with Ellie, as much as the anger made her blood boil, she had nowhere else to flock to. "Fine."

"Fine?" Ellie questioned.

"Yeah, fine. I'll stay with you." Jane huffed. She wrinkled her nose as she breathed in, finally smelling the stench of the dried blood and dirt on her skin and clothing. "As long as I get to shower and find some clean clothes."

Ellie let her shoulders relax, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. She turned to the house and motioned for Jane to follow her. "C'mon, there's just one more person that has to give it the okay." She turned the knob and the front door swung open, revealing a quaint living room.

The house wasn't too large, only one level. There was a large brown leather couch pushed against the right wall. Two other chairs sat in front of it with a small wooden coffee table in the middle of the three objects. In front of them on the back wall was a cracked picture frame and a small closet. Beside them, a staircase. To the left, there sat a bookcase filled with different items, very few of them being books. There were a few knives, all different sizes, a gun here and there, pill bottles to last the term of anyone's lifetime, and some canned foods. A pipe leaned neatly against the right side of the bookcase. Also, on the left wall was a white door frame. Light poured in from the other room, presumably the kitchen, a delightful smell floating into the living room.

"Take a seat. I'll.. I'll be right back." Ellie muttered, walking apprehensively into the other room. Jane took a seat on the couch and sunk into the cushions. Finally allowing herself to relax even if for only a moment, she let out the longest sigh of comfort. Even the stinging of her wounds came second to the comfort this couch was blessing her with. Her eyes fluttered shut.

A harshly whispered 'What?' came from the kitchen. More whispers and mumbles followed. After what seemed to be hours but in fact was only a mere five minutes, heavy footsteps entered the living room. "Jane?" a gruff voice spoke.

Jane opened her eyes and saw a tall man. _So this is Joel,_ she thought. Though he didn't look to be that aged, his hair was graying. He had deep wrinkles of stress etched into the skin of his forehead and cheeks. He wore a black t-shirt that hugged his shaped biceps and muscular torso. The blue jeans he wore were dirtied at the knees. The black boots on his feet made his footsteps heavier than he actually seemed to be.

Pulled from her thoughts at the realization that she'd been staring blankly at Joel for a solid minute, Jane hopped up from her place on the couch. Her blonde waves bounced slightly with her movement. "Th-That's me." She was nervous as all hell. He crossed his arms over his chest. Tired hazel eyes studied her image. Jane's face went red with embarrassment and she gulped back the lump in her throat. _I must look a wreck._

"Ellie says you need some help. This true?" Jane nodded quickly, shoving her pride far into the corners of her conscious thoughts. "Yeah. I-I mean, yes, sir."

Joel took his lower lip between his teeth. The inner mechanisms of his mind turned in thought. After another period of a few hour-long minutes, he nodded toward her knapsack that sat next to her previous spot on the couch. "That," he knocked on the bookcase to his right, "goes here. I see that knife on your hip and it goes and _stays_ here, too. Wash up and find some fresh clothes." He glanced at the girl behind him. Out of every stunt she'd ever pulled, he'd never expected something like this from Ellie. Sighing quietly, he finished, "Ellie will help you get.. settled in. Come back down when you're done. Dinner's almost ready."

* * *

Ellie opened the door to a seemingly well kept bathroom. The white tile of the floor and walls were clean, as was the mirror that hung above the sink. Ellie picked up a fluffy blue towel that hung over the side of the tub and offered it to Jane with a small grin on her face. "Maria and I only found these pretty recently. Managed to break into some store in the old city and try to make everybody feel a little more comfortable. One guy, Alan, he told me he hadn't seen a good towel in 20 years. Since.. since it happened."

Ellie paused for a moment, furrowing her brow and pursing her lips. Jane took notice of the yearning in her green irises. Ellie desperately wanted to experience how it was before. She wanted to see ice cream trucks for herself, giggle with friends over snacks, walk wherever she pleased without having to worry about living nightmares at every turn. Jane could feel the despair radiating off of the brunette. Putting her anger aside for a moment, she placed her hand comfortingly over Ellie's. Green met blue and a soft smile was offered. Ellie cleared her throat and leaned over the edge of the tub. Quickly, she tested the water flow a couple times before leaving hastily to let Jane clean up.

Jane peeled off the tattered clothes she'd spent months in. Very rarely was she given enough security to be able to wash herself, and time to wash the clothes was even more scarce. As she stepped under the lukewarm water, she nearly melted at the feeling of it trickling down her back. The water below her turned a murky mix of red and brown. The blood and dirt finally fell from her flesh. Almost instantly, she could feel the sting of even the tiniest of open wounds on her body. But, she didn't mind it. She was just grateful to be somewhat clean again.

 _This is the best I've felt in years_. Jane closed her eyes and stood face up under the water. Every inch of her face moistened, cleaning all the filth out of every crevice.

Jane's happy grin fell as she opened her eyes and took her gaze to the floor of the shower. For the most part, the red in the water wasn't her blood.

 _I'm sorry, Em._

* * *

Jane came down the stairs in a new set of blue jeans and a white tank top. The only things on her feet were a pair of purple ankle socks. Her hair hung in wet waves around her face.

Joel stood by the counter and put what looked to be freshly picked vegetables on a blue plate. Jane was amazed at how delicious they smelled, how fresh and lovely they looked. She remembered the conversation she had with Maria earlier about life here in Jackson.

She'd been told about the life Maria and her father had made here. In private, Maria had even told Jane how Ellie changed since she first arrived. Ellie was one of the toughest people Maria had met. After some time living in Jackson, she'd softened inside the city's walls, having let go of at least a few of what seemed to be many traumatic experiences.

Soon enough, Ellie herself walked into the kitchen and took a spot across from where Jane had chosen to sit. Though Jane had relaxed, waves of anger still radiated off the blonde. Joel placed a few plates of food down before taking a spot at the head of the table. A few moments of silent eating passed until he decided to speak up, "So," he cleared his throat and set down his fork. "Where're you from, Jane?"

Jane cleared her throat as well and set down her cup of water. "Portland, sir. I, uh.. I left the quarantine zone a few months ago."

Joel raised a brow at this response. "You left? There's soldiers crawling all over the place. You can't just leave a quarantine zone." For a moment, Joel had almost chosen not to respond with that. He had left his quarantine zone many times to tip toe around downtown Boston so, his statement was incorrect. But, he decided to say it anyway, hoping to gather information on the girl's previous whereabouts.

Jane stared down at her almost empty plate, finding broccoli stems very interesting in that moment. "You can when it's burned to the ground."

Joel swallowed a reply and gave a solemn nod. Ellie spoke up, "And your family?"

"What about them?" Jane shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Where are they?"

The blonde gulped. "Long gone."

Ellie did the same as Joel, even opting to slump a little in her chair.

Joel broke the silence.

"There's a few ground rules but, you can stay."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello! I apologize for not updating for a few days. Been very busy! Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Also, thank you for the kind reviews I've received! I appreciate them very much. ( :

Enjoy!

* * *

" _You're a sweet lil' thing, huh?" A heavy boot delivered a swift kick to bruised ribs. A yelp spilled from candy colored lips. Her frangible skin was covered with a sheen of sweat, splotches of bruises. The side of her face had become moist and sticky with sweat, making the floor terribly uncomfortable for that patch of skin._

" _C'mon baby, make this easy for me. Tell me what I wanna hear." Someone leaned down to her shivering body on the floor, and hair was pushed from her eyes._

" _I'm not.. gonna.. I'm not tellin' you.. a-anythi- ah!" She was cut off by another kick. The pain that plagued her bones was agonizing. In the blur of her tears, she saw a large hand come down and wrap around her throat. It squeezed tightly around her neck. Her airway was closing and she began to writhe beneath the powerful grip. As the tears poured over and fell down her cheeks, she could finally see who it was that made her vision begin to fill with black dots._

 _(_ _ **The Last of Us (You and Me)- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play until "STOP".)_

"Emmett!" Jane yelled. She sat up in bed quickly. Blonde strands stuck to her forehead and neck with sweat. Her skin was white with panic. Quickly, she patted her face and arms, even pinching herself to confirm her presence in reality. Jane was baffled. The dream- more like nightmare, was wildly vivid. She could feel every pad of the fingertips that dug into her flesh. Sniffling softly, she glanced over at Ellie in her bed on the opposite wall, who had begun to stir and grumble. _I think I woke her,_ Jane thought guiltily.

"Jane?" Ellie turned over, squinting her eyes, trying to see Jane in the moonlight pouring in from in window. "Are you okay?" The brunette sat up. The glow of the moon reflected off the sweat Jane's face was covered in.

Jane nodded, "Yea, just a bad dream." She lifted her arm to her forehead and wiped off some sweat, doing the same to her cheeks, and laying back in the bed. She'd been sleeping here every night for about a week and as days passed, it began to feel like a bed of nails, the nightmare played like a film every time she attempted sleep.

Ellie wasn't convinced. She stayed in her seated position. She feared Jane would get upset if she came too close. "I'm not the best at people but, I'm here if you need somebody, Jane."

Jane only nodded once more, turning on her side to face the wall, closing herself off as best she could from kindness, from any emotion at all.

"Goodnight."

Ellie nibbled her lower lip. _Best to leave it alone._

"Goodnight, Jane."

 _(STOP MUSIC.)_

* * *

Clouds loomed over Jackson. The morning was still pleasant and quiet, but rain was approaching.

"Ellie!" Joel called up the staircase. After a moment, the girl stood at the top of the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"How about you and Jane go ask Maria for an extra loaf of bread and some more vegetables? Feedin' three mouths now."

Ellie nodded, "Are you going anywhere?"

"Runnin' out with Tommy to take care of a couple things before it rains. Get Jane up, that girl sleeps like she's dead." Joel teased. Ellie giggled, "Okay, be careful." But it was true. Once Jane's head hit a pillow, she was out like a light. Her nightmares would wake her but, there'd be little trouble getting her back to sleep. Now that her anger toward Ellie had subsided, Jane was a more peaceful creature, and quite pleasant to have around in the week she'd been staying with them.

Ellie couldn't help but stare when Jane cooked dinner one evening. Though she was simply boiling broccoli, the way Jane's hands were lithe with their movements was mesmerizing. Jane was tired, the skin around her eyes was grey, and she had a fierce temper underneath her approachable aura. But, Ellie still found her to be markedly beautiful. In the gloomy hell that lay beyond the walls of Jackson, Jane was a bright light. She carried her share of baggage, but it didn't make her any dimmer.

Ellie took quiet steps to the bedroom the two girls shared. The door was open just a crack, giving enough room for Ellie to peek through. Jane was still laying on her side, facing the wall. The light from the window hadn't yet reached her bed. Ellie smiled, and allowed herself in.

"Jane?" She tried. _Nothing._ "Jaaaane?" _Nothing again. Wow, she really does sleep like she's dead._

Ellie huffed and took a couple big steps. Taking a seat on the empty mattress space, she lowered her lips to Jane's ear. Jane's sleeping face was downright adorable. The blonde was quiet and precious. Ellie studied the little scrapes that plagued her face. _Maybe I did go a little hard on her last week._

"Jane." She whispered.

Jane flipped around and began viciously swatting Ellie. "Get away, get away!" she cried! Ellie squealed and swatted back in an attempt to avoid the girl's small hands and sharp nails. "Jane! Jane, it's me! Ellie! Ow ow ow!" Ellie yelped.

The blonde finally stopped, realizing who it was that woke her from her sleep. A blush crept onto the apples of her cheeks. Jane hoped Ellie hadn't taken notice of her bare legs, and the pants that lay crumpled a few feet away on the floor. Making herself at home was something Jane was used to having been with her other group for so long. And who could blame her, pants suck.

But, Ellie saw. In Jane's swatting frenzy, the blankets had flipped around more than once. Ellie caught flashes of the skin, of the creamy thighs under the covers. Her face was turning pink, though she'd never admit to it.

Jane pulled the blanket over her lower half completely. A giggle spilled from her lips. "You scared me."

Ellie smirked, "You swatted me."

"So, we're even?" Jane questioned.

Ellie gave a chuckle, "Sure. We're even."

* * *

"Grab one more cucumber and I think we're good to go." Jane finished filling the canvas bag they brought and took the final veggie from Ellie. A few more minutes of thanking Maria and finding their way out of a building, they were on their way back to the house.

Suddenly, the sky opened up. It began a light drizzle, eventually escalating to a downpour. They ran as fast as their legs could take them and made it through the front door just in time to keep the food from getting wet. The bag was placed on the kitchen table. The house was silent. Joel was still out with Tommy, and it had started to rain. Ellie's nerves kicked in a little, but she was pulled from the thoughts as Jane began giggling uncontrollably.

For a moment, Ellie was hurt. She checked herself. _What's so fucking funny? Is she laughing at me?_ But she took one more look at the girl and realized she wasn't laughing at another, but at herself.

Jane made the mistake of wearing the white tank top today. When the rain had begun to soak her, the fabric glued to her skin, revealing the dark bra under it.

"I look ridiculous!" Jane cackled. Ellie grinned and chuckled at her antics, then glanced at the rain outside. Worry stirred in the pit of her stomach.

Jane calmed her laughter. Biting her lower lip, she stared out at the rain that soaked the grass around the porch. She glanced at Ellie's hands. They noticeably shook with nerve.

"C'mon!" Jane grabbed Ellie's hand and swung the front door open, hopping out into the rain they had just escaped. Jane ran and jumped in puddles, soaking Ellie's legs with splashes. Ellie nearly tripped trying to keep up with the blonde.

"Jane, are you crazy?!"

"Completely! Ellie, c'mon!"

 _Fuck it!_

Ellie threw caution to the wind and jumped into a huge puddle, completely drenching Jane's jeans. But, neither of them cared. They continued to soak each other with their splashes.

The roar of the rain ignited Jane's spirit. She felt as if she was on top of the world. Feelings like this came rarely, so she savored every second of it. The raindrops felt like heaven as they soaked into her pores. Every time she landed from a jump, she felt electric. Her smile was bright and blinding.

Jane was happy.

Ellie still continued to think through all the water. She hoped this is what it was like before. That people were carefree and happy. Rain was welcomed like an old friend rather than an obstacle. Life was colorful and everyone had a blonde girl to make their cheeks burn with embarrassment and their heart fill with light.

Jane stopped jumping, Ellie following soon after. They were both entirely saturated head to toe. Jane was shaking with new found energy. Her chest was on fire, and her face pointed up at the sky. Ellie watched her, amazed at the difference between the girl she'd nearly killed a week ago and the girl that stood before her now.

Jane's face went all tomato again as she caught Ellie's stare. "What're you looking at?" She called over the roar of the storm.

The blonde waves were completely soaked, sticking to her face and neck. Her white shirt was completely see through now. The jeans that hugged her strong legs and plump bottom led to her squishy, squeaky sneakers. Jane was a soused mess but, Ellie found her to be so breathtaking. Ellie's lips parted, trying to form a response, and failing miserably. "I.. I, uh-."

"You 'uh'?" Jane teased.

Ellie grinned. "I'm looking at a mess, that's what I'm looking at!" The brunette gave one big jump. The water splashed wildly and soaked Jane once more.

Jane squealed, "Hey!" She quickly retaliated by kicking up a puddle, and nailing Ellie square in the face; their antics resumed.

* * *

Joel finally returned from his exhausting day with Tommy. Maria's father had asked them to scout more of the city, scrounge up whatever supplies hadn't been looted yet. They fulfilled the request, but Joel had practically thrown out his back and would need a few days to rest his aching muscles. He felt his age in different ways nearly every day.

Joel took shelter from the storm under the protection of the porch, and reached for the doorknob. He paused. Giggling and yelling could be heard from behind the house. Taking a few steps to his right, he saw something that brought the largest smile to his face.

Ellie and Jane played happily in the rain. They weren't phased by the boom of the thunder.

Joel shook his head, chuckling to himself. It was a sight he hadn't seen since Ellie hit herself in the nose with a blueberry years ago. She was smiling, laughing wildly. Kicking, jumping, running.

Ellie was happy.

* * *

Jane ruffled a fluffy blue towel against her hair, drying it as best she could. Her and Ellie were eventually pulled from their rain dance when Joel called them in. He laughed at the squeak of their sneakers and swish of their pants. Telling them to dry off and change, he stepped into the kitchen.

Ellie was tilted at an odd angle. She delivered slaps to the side of her face and jumped up and down. "There's water in my fuckin' ear."

Jane giggled from her spot on her bed. "Come sit, I'll help you."

Ellie plopped down on the bed. Jane's hand cupped the side of her face, and she took the end of the blue towel, wiggling it in Ellie's ear. "After the few times I've had to swim, this has worked for getting water out of my ear." Ellie's face scrunched up a little at the odd sensation of a towel in her ear. Soon, her hearing opened up as the water dripped out. She cleaned the side of her face with the towel.

"You can swim?"

Jane raised a brow. "Yeah. Can you?"

Ellie shrugged. "Joel tried teaching me when we first settled down here. I picked up the guitar better than swimming. But, I picked up enough that I'm not at risk of drowning anymore, so that's good."

"And when was the last time you actually went swimming?" Jane questioned.

Ellie scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "Uh.."

"Ellie! You're kidding me! That's it, once the weather allows, we're going outside to teach you how to swim again." Jane laughed.

The brunette groaned and flopped on her back. "Fine, but if I need CPR, I'm your responsibility."

Jane grinned. She didn't respond for a moment, taking the time to appreciate Ellie. She was so calm. Her wet hair was a little tangled here and there. Ellie's face was sprinkled with the cutest freckles. They made her look more youthful despite the stress etched into her skin. Her lips were pink and plump. Her figure as a whole was muscular, but womanly. Ellie, though she herself didn't think much of it, was quite lovely. Jane saw her, every inch of her, and appreciated it. Suddenly, Jane's brows furrowed. Only now had Jane noticed the scar that cut through Ellie's eyebrow. She leaned forward over Ellie, and gently raked the pad of her finger over the old wound.

"What's this from?"

Ellie's hand caught Jane's wrist in a snap. The two made eye contact. Ellie's stare was serious and stern. "Don't touch it."

Jane chewed her lower lip, sitting back down once again. "Sorry."

"Come on down before it gets cold!" Joel hollered up the stairs.

Ellie's ears perked up at his voice. She sat up to confront Jane's guilty stare. With a sigh, she mumbled, "It's fine, really." Ellie ruffled the blonde's hair, eliciting another sweet giggle, and got off the bed.

"Let's go before the chef gets his panties in a twist."

"Does he really consider himself a chef?"

"I dunno. Maybe carrots were a delicacy in Texas."

The two laughed and made their way downstairs, following the smell of a piping hot meal.

* * *

A/N: To me, this chapter was a little boring, but, I wanted to use a chapter to further Jane and Ellie's relationship. Things between them will pick up soon, don't you worry!

Thank you again for the very kind feedback I've been receiving! Especially from KZStyles, guest reviewer Iggy, and Matt197!

Hope you enjoyed!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here's Chapter 6! New stuff in this one.

Enjoy!

P.S. I recently decided I will also be using music from the DLC, _Left Behind._

* * *

Twin Falls was silent. Little life remained in this Idaho town. The air was hot and moist. The pungent odor of sweat floated through the air. Footsteps echoed through the streets as men went about their business.

" _MATTHEW!_ Are you fucking listening to me?" A beefy man boomed. His nostrils flared with frustration as he tried his hardest to get his motives across to the young man that stood before him. Matthew's gentle blue eyes, glossed over with fear, and held a stare with the green irises of the hunk of muscle.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, Steve, I'm listening."

"I don't care how long it takes, you find those ragtag fuckers and bring them back to me. That blonde bitch, I want her head on a goddamn silver platter. I'm gonna skin her with that fuckin' knife of hers." Steve growled. His chest burned with the fire of hatred. Upon hearing his orders, his spitting of "fuckers", Matthew flinched involuntarily. Luckily, the action went unnoticed by Steve. Matthew would, hopefully, walk out of this meeting unscathed.

Matthew nodded slowly. He managed to keep scalding tears back for a few moments longer, until he retired to the room he shared with four other men. Taking check of the area, he concluded he was alone, and finally allowed himself to break. A pained sob came from deep within his chest. His bony fingers tangled into his dirty blonde hair, pulling and gripping. Matthew collapsed on his bed and unleashed a blood curdling scream into the pillow. Flailing wildly, so much the bed frame creaked, he cried quietly, his voice muffled, "I'm sorry, oh god. I'm so fucking sorry.."

He spoke the best he could between sobs to whom he hoped was listening, no matter how far she was. "Please forgive me.. Oh, please. I'm sorry."

* * *

"Get on up there!"

Jane grinned and made her way onto the white horse's back with little difficulty. Settling on the saddle, she looked over at Ellie excitedly.

A wide grin was plastered onto the brunette's face. "Ready?" She asked. Jane nodded.

"For anything."

And the two of them exited on galloping horses right through the gates of Jackson. Ellie guided the four of them through the paths and trees, ducking under branches here and there, Jane hot on her tail the whole time.

That morning, Ellie suggested a change of pace. As a few weeks passed, she and Jane had grown bored of the same routine. The two continued to see the same places over and over. They'd wake up and go about their business, get food from Maria, occasionally go out to collect whatever supplies they could find, and then come home. Since the day in the rain, nothing particularly eventful had occurred.

So, while Jane gulped down some water, Ellie broached the topic of something new.

" _We do the same damn thing everyday. Wanna try something else?"_

 _Jane coughed a little on the water. Mostly from just swallowing incorrectly, but partially because of Ellie's words. Her face was red. If questioned, she could easily hide her blush by blaming it on lack of oxygen. Finally, she could breathe normally._

" _Ellie, if you're asking me what I think you're asking me, then like, you're a great gal and all-"_

 _Ellie burst out laughing, "No no no, not that. Oh my god." She set down her fork and rested her chin in her hand. "I mean we always go to the same places and see the same stuff. Maybe there's somewhere else we can go today."_

" _Don't we have to ask Joel?"_

 _Ellie shook her head. "He isn't even gonna be home. His back is fine now so he'll be out with Tommy again. C'mon, I asked Maria and she said it's totally cool if we borrow a couple horses for a few hours."_

 _Jane mulled over the consequences of leaving the safe walls of Jackson. But finally, she told herself "fuck it" and agreed to Ellie's offer._

" _Let's do it."_

And there they were later that afternoon, basking in the rays of the sunset, laying comfortably in the grass patches atop a cliff. Their horses stood comfortably only a few yards behind them, reins tied to tree branches.

Jane sighed in content. She hadn't felt this relaxed in what seemed to her like years. The sun's rays felt like the warmest hug. The grass tickled her creamy skin. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Ellie stared out at the pink horizon, figuring out how to properly word what she wanted to say.

"Jane, uh.."

Jane opened her eyes and looked over at the girl that lay next to her. "Yeah?"

"About what happened. Emmett, and all that."

Jane sat up, Ellie doing the same, and turned her body towards the brunette.

"I can't stop playing it in my head. It's like.. like it wasn't even real. Over and over again, I think about him lying there. I think about Anna and how she was sprawled out on the bed like that. Lena and Charlie, I'd seen them fight through everything. They were practically invincible. And they were just torn to pieces. Emmett, the one person I saw like a superhero. He was the one to save me when the apartment in Portland was burning down." Jane explained. Her voice got caught in her throat as a lump of emotion formed. She quickly swallowed it and continued.

"All these things, I can't blame you for them. If anything, I should probably thank you. I wouldn't have been able to find them, wouldn't have know what happened to them. I'd probably still be hopelessly searching through that little neighborhood. So, thanks. As much as I hated what I saw, you.. You gave me some closure, I guess."

The corners of Ellie's lips turned up in a faint smile. "I, uh.. I know you weren't angry anymore. But, I'll admit I was scared you'd never forgive me."

Jane weaved her skinny fingers through soft blades of grass. For a while, she didn't know whether or not she should forgive Ellie. What she'd done did of course contribute to Jane's lateness and the deaths of her friends. But, Jane couldn't blame Ellie. Ellie was doing what she had to do to survive, and there was no way Jane could justly hold a grudge against her for that.

"Jane?"

The blonde's head popped up, "Yeah?"

"What happened to your family?"

Jane gulped. She knew this question would come back eventually, even after she seemingly forbade the discussion of it that evening at the kitchen table. But, Ellie was constantly curious, and Jane was certain this question would pop up again. Though, it's different this time. Jane trusts Ellie, and she is sure she can trust her with the past.

"Well, wow. That's uh, that's a loaded question."

"You really don't have to talk about it if you don't want to-"

"No, no. It's okay. You should know, anyways." Jane chewed her lower lip. She laid back down, folding her fingers over her stomach, and pointed her gaze to the sky.

"I had my parents, Sophia and Allen. They were perfect. They gave me reasons to smile through all this shit every day. We only had a small apartment in the QZ, but it was enough. Then, these soldiers came to our door one day and gave them papers. They were given some kind of job on the outside. I thought it was the coolest thing. Ya know, being on the outside. But, when they'd come home with this... this broken look in their eyes, I started to understand what they were actually doing."

Ellie listened closely to Jane. The breeze caressed her cheeks as she pulled up small blades of grass.

"Then, one day a couple years ago, they just didn't come home. I never found out what happened to them but," Jane closed her eyes. She sighed, "I've got a good idea. I had a brother, too. A few years older than me. But, once the military abandoned the QZ and the whole place was lit up.. I.. I don't think he made it out of our apartment. He actually gave me my knife, the one I always have with me. It's all I have left, really."

Ellie looked at Jane sorrowfully. From what she knew, Jane had been through a lot. A world of hurt had latched itself onto the blonde. One loss came after another.

"How'd you get out of Portland? How'd you get all the way here?" Ellie changed the subject. She wanted to see the color return to Jane's skin. For her blue eyes to dance with life.

Jane raised a brow, "It's a really long story."

Ellie chose to lay back down next to Jane. She confidently picked up one of Jane's hands from her stomach, lacing their fingers together, and squeezed.

"We've got all the time in the world. Ya know, unless there's some meteor or something."

Jane chuckled and glanced down at their joined hands, then up at Ellie, then back to the pink sky.

"Alright. So, I woke up to the smell of smoke.."

* * *

 _(_ _ **The Choice- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play until end of chapter.)_

Matthew sniffled as he tossed the last of his supplies in the bed of the truck. He and a few other men grabbed a large tarp, laying it over the open cargo, then tying rope around the whole thing, securing it with knots under the vehicle.

"Matt!"

Matthew's head popped up at the call of his name. He saw Steve waving him over from the porch of the house they'd been staying in. Matthew thought of this as a welcoming home full of guys like him, men looking for stable living in exchange for some work. But, now, the blue exterior seemed like a mask. Hiding all the horrors that lie within, the demons that sleep in the beds.

Matthew gulped and jogged over to the older man. He was given a quick slap on the back.

"Remember what I told you, right son?"

Matthew nearly flinched at the nickname of endearment. For some reason, Steve wasn't nearly as hard on Matthew as he was on the other men. Maybe his bright eyes inspired Steve's seemingly non-existent soft side or maybe he was just trying to soften Matthew up, so he'd do the dirty work out of loyalty.

"Yeah. I remember."

"Good. Now, Dom?" Steve called. A young man with scruffy brown curls popped his head out from the passenger window of the silver truck. "Keep an eye on Matt here."

Dom nodded and gave the door of the truck a rough whack, shouting, "You got it, let's go!"

Matthew chewed his lower lip, feigning confidence as best he can as Steve sent him off. He rested his head against the glass of the window once he was seated comfortably in the back row. The other men chatted, laughed, and argued over what they should try to kill for dinner come nightfall.

Rain began to fall. The windshield wipers hummed against the windshield. Matthew stared out at the blur of Twin Falls through the storm.

 _I'm so fucking sorry._

* * *

A/N: Aaaaaand you will find out Jane's escape from Portland in the NEXT chapter!

So, lots of new stuff in this one. What do you think happened to Jane's parents? To her brother? Should Jane have forgiven Ellie? Should Jane have THANKED Ellie? Should Jane have even been mad in the first place? Who's Matthew? Why is Steve such a dick?

Let me know what you think!

Hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews I've been receiving! I really appreciate them, and they give me reason to keep writing this story.

Also, ugh! I made a mistake. Last chapter, I said I'd use music from the DLC. What I meant to say was I'd use music from Vol. 2 of the soundtrack. The cover for Vol. 2 is Ellie and Riley so I automatically wrote that it was a DLC soundtrack. Music from both soundtracks is used in both games. Glad I cleared that up!

Enjoy!

* * *

"Alright. So, I woke up the smell of smoke..."

* * *

 _Jane's eyes fluttered open as they started to sting. She took a quick sniff of the air, realizing this wasn't the cool October temperature she'd fallen asleep in, but a blazing smoke swarming around her._

" _Oh shit!"_

 _Jane threw her blankets away and quickly pulled on the first sneakers she could find. She threw the random items that looked necessary into her beige knapsack just as the fire had begun to trickle in from the windows. Her curtains were ablaze. Her lungs filled with smoke. Jane reached for the doorknob-_

" _FUCK!" She retracted quickly, yelping as her skin sizzled. The knob was boiling. Fire was on the other side, too. She held her hand to her chest. Mustering all her strength, Jane kicked the door open, and sprinted down the hall, hopping over little flames that ate away at the carpet._

" _Fire, FIRE! Get up!" she called. She pounded on the door to her brother's bedroom. The roar of the flames grew louder. The hall was growing brighter as the flames began to swallow the carpet and walls whole._

" _Fuck, fuck, fuck.. GET UP NOW!" She screamed. Jane kicked the door open with all her might._

 _Empty. The room was empty. The window wasn't even opened, but her sibling was nowhere to be found. He seemed to have left this room before the fire even began._

" _What the..?"_

 _A hot sting at her feet pulled her from her confusion. The fire was crawling up her jeans. Quickly, she kicked it away, stomping her foot wildly to keep her skin unharmed. Jane ran through the apartment and into the hall, holding onto her knapsack for dear life, only to find more flames encasing the door to the stairs. They gradually swallowed up more and more of the third floor. She frantically searched for another way out. Opting to run from danger, she had to return back into her own apartment. Fire crawled closer down the hall, and the only way to run from it was to duck into the bathroom._

" _Dammit.." She'd trapped herself. Jane backed away from the danger that came closer to the room. She scrambled for a solution._

 _Jane threw open the window and stuck her head out, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Help! Help me! Someone please, help me!" Only now was she able to see the flames that had engulfed all of Portland. The streets echoed with blood curdling screams. Crashes and sirens could be heard, along with gunshots. Lots of gunshots. Some cars sped past, followed by the sounds of skidding and crashes._

" _Hey! Down here!"_ _Jane looked down at the voice. A young man with dark hair waved his arms up at her as he stepped out of a blue SUV._

" _Jump! Jump, I've got you!"_

 _Jane's eyes widened. "Are you fucking crazy? I can't just jump!"_

 _He screamed louder. "It's now or never, the whole city is a goddamn bonfire."_

 _Jane looked back at the flames, still wondering about her brother, counting on the slim chance he made it out in time. Then, she turned back to the window._

" _HURRY!" He hollered._

 _She stepped onto the windowsill and gulped, finally taking one giant leap from the building and landing in the arms of the stranger._

" _I gotcha, darlin', let's go." He whispered, taking his place on the passenger seat and placing the shaking blonde in his lap. An older gentlemen floored it and gunned them all down the road._

" _Oh shit, hold on, everyone!" The younger man yelled. Jane looked up to see what he was warning them of. She immediately ducked back down once they had to ram through a large FEDRA gate that led them out of Portland. They sped down a bridge, whizzing past cars who were going far too slow for their tastes._

 _(_ _ **The Last of Us (Astray)- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play until STOP.)_

 _After an hour or so had passed, the group had finally lost sight of Portland, reaching the outskirts of the city due to their lightning speed. With no danger in sight, the young man ordered the older man to stop the car. They came to a calm halt._

 _He gently shook the blonde girl that was curled up in his lap. She sniffled and looked up. He smiled comfortingly._

" _I'm Emmett. This here is Charlie. And these two back there," he turned a little, pointing to a young asian woman and an even younger white teenage girl. "That's Lena," the asian woman, "and that's Anna." The young white girl._

 _Jane nodded to each of them, and they all offered a soft smile back. Emmett looked down at Jane, biting his lower lip, praying the girl would trust them._

" _What's your name?"_

 _Jane sniffled again. "Jane."_

" _Okay, Jane. Are you any good with any weapons or looking for stuff?"_

 _Jane nodded. "I know my way around a knife, I've got one my brother gave to me, and I'm pretty good at patching someone up." She shivered from the chilly autumn air._

 _Emmett reached into the backseat and grabbed one of the jackets he'd thrown back there in his hurry to escape the city. He wrapped it around Jane's shoulders. "Where's your brother now, darlin'?"_

 _Jane teared up. Her lip quivered as she shook her head. "I don't know." Lena leaned forward from her spot in the back. "Jane, you didn't see him in your apartment?"_

 _Jane shook her head again. "N-No. I went into his room but it looked like he hadn't been there in hours.. I didn't look in the kitchen or in the living room.. Oh my god, what if he was still in there? What if he got caught in the fire?! I left him to burn, oh my god-" Jane began to sob._

 _Emmett quickly wrapped his arms around the grieving girl. He shushed her quietly, rocking her in his lap until she fell silent. She'd fallen asleep._

" _Charlie, get us the hell out of here."_

 _(STOP MUSIC.)_

* * *

"And then we just kept driving, camping, and scavenging for a while. That was early October and it's late July now so... about ten months, I guess."

Ellie nodded, trying to absorb all that Jane had told her. After a few moments, Ellie broke the silence, "That's a lot." Jane sighed in response and sat up. She pulled up small blades of grass. Ellie sat up beside her, "I'm sorry about your brother."

Jane shrugged and gave a small smile. "I am, too."

Ellie looked out at the view before them. She hoped that Jane knew she understood her feelings, that she'd gone through similar and so much more. Ellie was in the middle of deciding if she should ever tell Jane about the horrific past she endured when the blonde herself spoke again.

"We mostly stuck around Oregon and Idaho. Honestly, I think we went in circles most of the time. But, we hardly got into trouble other than some pack of infected or something. Except this one time." Jane seemed to giggle at the memory. "It was fucking terrifying then but now that I think about it, Lena and I really kicked some ass."

Ellie waited for a continuation from Jane, chuckling when one never came. "Hellooo? Earth to Jane? Tell me about it! I wanna hear what you think kicking ass is considering you squashed a runner's head with your hand and a wall and thought nothing of it."

Jane perked up slightly, "Oh! Oh, yeah, right. Okay. Okay, I'll tell you."

"Finally." Ellie joked. The two girls sat in pretzels and turned to face each other, resembling giggling, gossiping teen girls that stayed up all night chatting about movies and crushes.

"We were in Idaho. Anna had just slammed on the brake.."

* * *

" _C'mon.. Shit." Matthew grumbled, letting his head rest against the steering wheel. He'd tried again and again to rev the engine. Something, anything that would make the damn car start. But, nothing came of his efforts. He beat his fists against the wheel. The horn blasted multiple times._

 _Screams rang in his ears. He could feel the crashes of buildings rumble in his chest. His muscles ached. A sadness washed over him. He wouldn't make it back in time to save his sister._

" _I've gotta run." Matthew spoke to himself. New found determination made his heart swell with courage._

 _He hurriedly hopped out of the vehicle and began pumping his legs with all his might. Leaping over corpses left and right, he even outran a few Infected that had wandered in from a wrecked FEDRA gate. As Matthew passed it, he was slightly taken aback. The seemingly unbreakable gate looked as though it had been mowed down by a vehicle. Giant dents in the steel confirmed this._

 _He pulled himself from his thoughts and refocused just in time to hop away from a large truck's path. "Almost there, Matt, keep going.."_

 _Matthew threw himself forward at lightning speed, one foot after another pounding on the ground. His legs felt as if they were on fire. But all he could think about was her, she was all that mattered._

 _In a matter of minutes, he had crossed the entire city to their apartment. Matthew's chest filled with hope as he ran down their street. Maybe he'd made it in time, maybe she was there, or maybe any clue as to where she would've gone wasn't torched yet. But, his heart fell as he approached their building._

 _The whole structure had been swallowed by flames. Black smoke surrounded the air above it. Red and orange burned bright as it devoured every last piece of their life. Matthew's world crumbled._

 _He collapsed to his knees. Staring up at the destruction, he felt tears sting his eyes._

" _No.. No, no, no, no..." Matthew whispered._

 _His vision had begun to fog up. Sobs shook his whole body as he hunched over and broke down on the sidewalk. His last reason for fighting had been ripped from him. All he'd known, all he'd cared about, his hope, eaten by wild destruction. Matthew stood up and stumbled toward the door of the building. His hand reached out for the knob only to be met with sizzling metal. He cried out, clutching his hand to his chest, hunching over once more. His stomach was in knots. His pain, physical and emotional, had scrambled him completely. In the moments he spit up what little food remained in his stomach into the sidewalk, he regretted ever leaving the apartment last night. The medicine pickup could've waited till morning. She might've still been alive had he been there._

 _The tears stopped after a few moments. He grabbed his gun from his hip, studying it's shine, then raised it to his temple. Just as he convinced himself to pull the trigger, there was a skidding of tires._

" _That one! Grab him!" A strong voice boomed._

 _Matthew turned to see the commotion. Immediately, he was hauled up by two men. "Hey! Hey, what the hell?!" He shrieked. Matthew flailed in their grip as they carried him, "Let go of me! Let go! My sister might be in there! Please!" Soon, he was tossed into the bed of a pickup truck. Other men and countless amounts of weaponry surrounded him. He quickly slipped his handgun back into it's place on his hip just as the barrel of another was shoved in front of his face._

 _Looking up, Matthew's blue irises met dull green eyes. He gulped. In this moment, he was determined as ever to remain in his place, fearing one move would trigger his demise._

 _The green-eyed man held his gun still in front of Matthew's face. Keeping the aim between the young man's eyes, he spoke, "What's your name?"_

" _Matthew, sir. My name is Matthew."_

" _How good are you at survivin' hell, Matthew?"_

" _I'm still alive now so, I-I guess I'm alright at it."_

" _I'm Steve. These men and I, we're leaving this torched shithole and finding somewhere else. You in?"_

 _Matthew gulped and looked around at the other men sitting with him in the bed. Steve's gun was not the only one pointed at him. In fact, every man's gun aimed right between his eyes. He seemingly had no choice, and nodded after a moment. If he didn't, his head would most definitely be blown to smithereens._

 _Steve grinned and had one of his men take Matthew's gun from him until trust could be established. He hopped down from the bed and back into the passenger seat in the truck. Almost instantly, the driver floored it, and Matthew had to hold on tightly to another man's leg to keep from sliding all over, much to the man's discomfort._

 _The pickup flew down the road with reckless abandon._

 _After a few moments, they approached the destroyed FEDRA gate. Steve poked his head out and hollered, "Hold on, boys!" The truck flew through the remnants of the gate, steel scraping the doors of the vehicle, and they whizzed down the road._

 _A few minutes passed and they'd covered a few miles when they could no longer hear Portland's cries._

 _As the men chatted around him, all Matthew could do was stare at the remains of Portland. All he could do was hate himself for picking up the medicine early._

 _All he could do was hope Jane found peace in death._

* * *

A/N: Woo! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I liked packing a lot of emotion into this. So, who else reeeeeeeally enjoyed the new Part II trailer they showed at E3?

Again, thank you SO MUCH for all the kind feedback I've been receiving. I know I've been taking a bit longer to update this story but, I want to make these chapters as good as I possibly can for you all.

Also, I am going to be SO busy these next few weeks. I've got prom, graduation, summer stuff, starting college, all kinds of things I'm doing! So, not exactly sure when the next update will be.

Send me feedback, tell me things you want to see! I love writing this story for you.

See you in the next one!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Here's Chapter 8! Hope you like it! ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

"We were in Idaho. Anna had just slammed on the brake..."

* * *

" _Look, look! Anna, stop the car!" Jane squealed. Anna immediately stomped on the brake, jostling everyone in the car a bit, as Jane swung the car door open and ran through a group of trees up a small hill._

" _Jane? Dammit, girl, get back here!" Charlie hollered. He grumbled with Emmett, Lena, and Anna. Hopping out of the SUV, they jogged after the blonde. "I swear, if this girl gets us stuck in a pack of runners like in Carlton.." Lena huffed. The four pushed through trees and leaves. They all called her name, following the sound of her voice as Jane replied with "Over here!" every time._

 _Emmett shook his head with a smirk. "She meant well. I don't think she knew about the runners behind that rose bush."_

 _He grinned as he thought fondly of the memory, of Jane's ever blossoming youth. Her giggles of delight he'd hear so often brought a smile to his face. Emmett cared so deeply for Jane. The way she lit up the darkest of days brought his attention away from the horrors of the world. Even if it was only for a moment, he'd escape from hell, and be captivated by her guileless mannerisms. The others in the group may be annoyed with her careless tendencies, but in the end, they appreciate her energy. She gives them all a little more life._

" _C'mon guys, look!" Jane squealed as the group emerged from the thick of the trees. She turned back to the sight before them, and they all stopped in their tracks._

 _(_ _ **Vanishing Grace (Childhood)- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play until 'STOP.')_

 _All throughout the rocks before them were roaring waterfalls pouring from one large body of water into another one. The grass sparkles with water droplets under the May sun. Beautiful flowers sprouted up from the cracks in the rocks, making the area all the more precious. With the blue sky clear as ever, the sun beating down on the life below it, and the cascading waters, living hell had seemingly washed away for a while._

 _Jane took a few steps forward, wiggling her foot in one stream, giggling. "Isn't this great? Can we stay here tonight? C'mon, Emmett, please?"_

 _Emmett bit his lip and turned from the beautiful nature. As he turned to meet the eyes of the three other approvals needed, he'd gotten his answer immediately. Charlie had found a ledge to perch himself on as he stared out at the falls. Lena and Anna had ran a few yards away, and hopped into a calm part of the water, splashing and laughing with one another without a care in the world. Emmett smiled. He'd never seen them so untroubled._

 _He turned back to Jane. After the giggles and the roar of the water, there was silence for miles._

" _Sure, we can stay here. But I think it's yours and Lena's turn to get supplies so how about we set up and you go take care of that? That sound good?"_

 _Jane nodded eagerly. She jumped up and hugged Emmett tightly. "Thank you! Thank you!"_

 _(STOP MUSIC.)_

* * *

" _Lena, hurry! I wanna get back as soon as we can so we can swim more."_

 _Lena smiled, emitting a chuckle, "Alright, blondie, hold your horses. Gotta make sure these bottles actually have pills in them, ya know."_

 _Jane rummaged through bins in the empty pharmacy. A few antibiotics here, medical tape there, even some unopened bandages. Any medicine or first aid equipment they could find, they'd take. Their group was good at fighting, but not too skilled at coming out unscathed._

" _What's this place called anyways?" Lena asked._

" _I saw it on the exit sign when we were driving in. Twin Falls, we must be in the city pharmacy." Jane hopped over the counter and rocked back and forth on her feet. "Are ya done yet, Lena?"_

 _The other girl grinned and nodded. She poured the good amount of pills she found into one large bottle and stuffed it into Jane's beige knapsack before tightening the bag shut. "Let's get outta here and find some dinner, yeah?"_

 _Jane agreed with a nod, wiping the glistening sweat on her forehead with her forearm, and left the pharmacy with Lena. They walked for some time, dodging and slaying Infected here and there. Occasionally, they'd push through rocks, dirt, copious amounts of leaves especially, and find a few useful items in glove compartments or trunks of abandoned cars. Finally, they stumbled upon the shell of what used to be a large mall._

 _Jane shrugged, "There's gotta be something in there. If you've got enough ammo, let's_

 _do it."_

 _Lena agreed, reloaded her handgun, and followed the young blonde inside to face what may lie ahead._

* * *

 _A couple hours later, the sun had set, and the girls were swallowed by the darkness. Luckily, they came across what used to be a hardware store, but was now broken shelves and countertops covered in ages of dust due to abandonment. They found a few packages of batteries and unopened flashlights and used them to their advantage._

 _As they made their way through the mall, climbing over rock piles and remnants of miscellaneous items, the two finally stumbled upon the locked door of a security office. Lena attempted to pick the lock with one of her hairpins, but it was so jammed, the lock practically spit the item back out at her._

 _Jane groaned and searched around. Finally, she came across what she was searching for. A fire extinguisher sat underneath a dusty bench. She grabbed the item and warned Lena, before lifting the object above her head, then lowering it with such force, the whole door handle came off. The door swung open with a loud creak. Just as the two girls made to step in..._

" _What the fuck was that?"_

 _A male voice called in the distant halls of the mall._

 _Jane and Lena locked eyes. With bursts of panicked energy, they threw themselves into the office, leaned against the door to keep it shut tight, and armed themselves._

 _Jane spat in a hushed whisper, "I thought this place was clear."_

 _Lena waved her hands about in frustrated gestures. "How the fuck was I supposed to know someone would show up?"_

 _Jane crawled on the floor of the office, pushing through dirty papers that littered the space, and made her way to the corner window just above the desk. She crouched beneath it, then poked her head above the windowsill._

 _Outside, four heavily armed men were walking about the area. Their heads darted in all directions. Every noise, no matter how quiet, made them jump in their skin._

" _Psh, easy." Jane whispered to herself._

" _Hey! Who's there?!" One of the men yelled. He spun in Jane's direction. Quickly, the blonde ducked and clamped a hand over her mouth. The girls stared at each other wide-eyed. Lena mouthed, 'What the hell did you do?'_

" _I know you're there, I fuckin' heard you! Come out!" The man said._

 _Jane gulped and searched frantically with her eyes for an escape. Lena waved her hand for Jane's attention, and then pointed to an open air vent up on the wall. Quickly, the two of them moved to the space, careful to make their movements as silent as possible. Jane boosted Lena up, the dark haired girl being the smaller and lighter of the two._

 _As Lena caught Jane's arm, she barely managed to pull her completely into the vent in time just as the broken door was kicked open. The door banged against the wall, and heavy footsteps echoed in the room. The girls scrambled away from the room with lighting speed. Unfortunately, their hurried movement alerted others of their presence._

 _A voice hollered out to the other men in the area, "They're in the vents! Spread out!"_

 _Lena led Jane through the small space. They'd slow down as they passed the vents of other stores to check them, see if this was their way out. But, most were either too exposed or men patrolled around._

 _Finally, they came to a store with no threats and plenty of hiding space. Lena hopped down from the open vent. She immediately raised her gun, checking the area carefully, before prompting Jane to do the same. Jane dropped from the small space and landed with a soft thud._

" _We've gotta get the hell out of here and back to the car." Lena whispered. Jane agreed and the two made to move out of the store. They crouched as they approached the entrance. Lena poked her head out, determined the men were far enough for their escape to go unnoticed, and silently dashed out from the store, hiding behind the remnants of a bench as she waited for Jane to join her._

 _Jane did the same as Lena, and just as she set herself up to dash, the hem of her jeans snagged a nail jutting out from the old doorway. She fell flat onto her stomach and groaned out from the pain that plagued her ribs._

" _Jane!" Lena spat in a hushed whisper._

" _There! Go, go, go!" A man screamed. Immediately, barreling footsteps came towards them._

 _(_ _ **Smugglers- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play till 'STOP.')_

 _The two girls got up and began to stumble back, followed by Jane shouting, "Run, Lena. Run, go, go!"_

 _They sprinted down the wing of the mall, their speed motivated by the determined footsteps that tumbled behind them. Lena shot blindly behind them. Some agonized cries could be heard, signaling that a few of her bullets had successfully hit their targets. Soon after, blind shots were fired back at the girls. Zig-zagging in an effort to dodge the bullets, the girls ran for their lives. Jane and Lena made to turn the corner and run down another wing._

" _AGH!" Lena cried. She slowed down for a moment. Lena grabbed Jane and shoved her into a small kiosk unnoticed. She tumbled to the floor, and Jane stopped, her face white with fear._

" _Lena?!" The blonde knelt down and inspected the girl. Lena's hand gripped her side but couldn't hide the injury for long, as her shirt began to stain red. The blood soaked through the fabric and crept onto her hand. Lena's own blood began to dampen her skin._

" _What happened? Did it go inside you?" Jane asked. She took off her knapsack and took out some of the supplies they'd collected earlier in the pharmacy. Jane quickly began to sprinkle peroxide into the wound and tape on thick white bandages as Lena spoke._

" _No, no. It just.. ah, fuck. It just grazed me, I'm fine. Fuck, be careful! That shit burns!" Lena whined._

 _Jane shoved the stuff away in her beige bag and helped Lena up. They'd just made it out of the kiosk when they started to hear the barreling footsteps once again._

" _Shit-" Jane spat. She helped a much slower Lena back into the kiosk and set her down. Jane snatched Lena's handgun, much to the latter girl's protest, and knelt in the entrance of the kiosk, armed and aiming at anything that dared to come towards them. The footsteps got closer, and six men came, armed just as Jane was, but with much bigger and more powerful rifles._

 _Jane looked back at Lena and whispered as quietly as she possibly could, "How many bullets are left in here?"_

 _Lena took a moment to think it over, "Five or six, I think."_

 _Jane smirked, "Perfect."_

 _Jane carefully positioned herself to have a clear aim at all the men in the vicinity once they'd spread out. They spread so far from each other, Jane had to crane her neck to really see them all. She steadied herself and then..._

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click.. click, click, click!**_

 _The two girls gasped simultaneously. Only four bullets were left in the gun, rendering it useless now. On the bright side, Jane had made every shot. Four more corpses now littered the floor. But, she only made four and she needed six. Two men came sprinting towards them now._

" _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..."_

 _Quickly, Jane scrambled to help Lena out of the small space. They ran as fast as their legs could take them down a new wing of the mall._

 _(STOP MUSIC.)_

 _Lena began to fall behind. Her strides became slower and sloppier. Finally, she collapsed on the ground. Jane cried out, "No, no, no! Not now, please not now."_

 _She moved to help Lena again. The other girl only groaned. Blood stained the floor beneath them and began to stain Jane's pale palms._

" _Jane, go! Just go, you need to escape and get to the others!" Lena implored. Jane shook her head, her eyes with pleading for Lena to get up and make it to the car._

" _C'mon, you can make it. I know you can. It's just a graze, Lena!"_

" _Jane-"_

" _No no, c'mon. I'll help you, we're getting out of this together."_

" _Jane, look behind-"_

" _It's going to be fine, Lena, let me help you. You've gotta get up."_

 _The blonde moved to help the injured girl up once more. She was unaware of the danger approaching, being so consumed in her thoughts of helping her friend._

" _Just stand up, you'll be fine-"_

" _JANE!"_

 _ **WHACK!**_

 _A hard hit with a bat to the back of Jane's head sent her to the floor._

 _Darkness consumed her vision._

 _Unconsciousness swallowed her._

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. I really loved the energy in this chapter, and I can feel my writing improving. I've got a lot planned for this story!

PLEASE let me know what you think! I desperately want some feedback because I wanna know if I'm pleasing you guys. Suggestions are welcome, too!

This will be continued in Chapter 9 which I have already starting working on.

See you in the next one!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 HIL

A/N: Aaaaaand here is Chapter 9! Really excited to show this to you all. Lemme know if you recognize anything from an older chapter. ; )

This is a long one.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Woah, wait, so you got kidnapped?" Ellie questioned in disbelief. As Jane described this tale that defied odds, she couldn't believe the blonde had actually been captured. Then again, Ellie had practically captured Jane herself once before. So, maybe it wasn't all that astonishing.

Jane held her hand up. She continued, "More like caught. But, hey, I'm here now. We got out."

"How?!"

Jane chuckled. "Keep your voice down, you're gonna alert every clicker in the damn county."

"Sorry, sorry. Just- I just wanna know how you got out."

The blonde grinned at the brunette's eagerness to listen.

"So, I finally wake up and these big dudes are dragging me down a street..."

* * *

 _The sun shone down on Twin Falls. Every bit of life was glossed over with a thin layer of golden rays. It was quiet, and birds chirped from their comfortable spots on tree branches._

 _Jane groaned as she stirred awake. Her neck ached, and her head was pounding against her skull. As she opened her eyes, she was met with a view of the rolling pavement. She came to her senses, realizing her situation._

 _Two men had a grip on her upper arms. They dragged her, her tummy and thighs scraping against the asphalt, all the way down the road. She lifted her head to look at her surroundings, only to find Lena in the same situation with other men a few feet to her left, staring right back at her. Both girls had their wrists and ankles tied with thick rope. They approached the largest house at the very end of the road._

 _The house was a soft blue on the outside. The porch was decorated with rusted wind chimes and a white wooden bench. Cars surrounded the structure. That's when Jane spotted their blue SUV sitting right in front of the house. All of the doors and the trunk had been opened. The vehicle was picked clean by now._

 _Men walked in and out of the front door as they hauled supplies around. Jane got a better look at them as they came closer to the house. One of them carried two bags that seemed out of the ordinary for this type of group. Jane's beige knapsack and Lena's brown backpack disappeared with the man into the house._

 _Jane gulped and shared a worried look with Lena. She chastised herself for ever wandering off to the waterfall in this damned town._

* * *

 _Matthew chewed his lower lip as he stood beside Steve. The two were looking over a map they'd found on a hunt the week before. The map was of the county, and had been marked up with information about the areas it showed. He reached over to the very top of the map, and pointed to a small area circled in red. Written above the area, it read:_ ' _ **INFECTED EVERYWHERE. CANNOT SEARCH.'**_

" _We go there, there's gotta be tons of shit. Lots of infected means heavily populated, heavily populated means heavily stocked. Whaddya think?" Matthew proposed to Steve. Steve tapped his fingers on the kitchen table they sat at. He thought about the consequences of sending men out there. Lots of infected means a lot of men won't come back. But, they're running low on medicine and clothes._

" _Ya know what, Matt, go check it out with some of the other guys out back." Steve nodded to the back door that led from the kitchen to the backyard of the house. A few benches and a table had been set up out there, providing the men with a place to relax and enjoy the atmosphere._

 _Matthew nodded and folded up the map, "Be back in a sec." He made his way out the door to consult the others._

* * *

 _The men entered the living room and tossed the girls onto the floor carelessly. They both landed right on their chests, the wind knocked completely out of them._

" _Agh! Shit.." Jane groaned. She received a hard kick in the ribs and a quick "shut up" was spat at her._

 _Heavy footsteps were approaching. They echoed in the hall they traveled down, getting closer and closer to the room. Jane gulped and kept her eyes locked on the doorway. Unconsciously, she wiggled in her restraints, attempting to ground her anxiety somehow._

" _What do we have here?" A stocky man entered. His bulky boots created the footsteps. Jane saw every inch of them as he circled her and Lena. Lena struggled against her restraints, earning herself a kick in her bullet-grazed side. She groaned and rested her face on the floor. She slumped. Now wasn't the time to pull any stunts._

" _Found these two in the mall, sir. Got a knife, gun, a couple of bags, and a car." One man explained. He tossed the keys to their SUV to the stocky man, who slipped them into his pocket away from sight, but slow enough for Jane to notice._

 _The large man chuckled and crouched between the two girls. "You expect me to believe two women survived out there all by themselves?" He studied their angered expressions, but kept his eyes on Jane just a few moments longer._

" _Swear it, Steve." The same man confirmed._

" _These two definitely belong to somebody. I know it."_

" _How do you know?" Another man questioned._

 _Steve turned to look at them, showing an almost demonic grin, nearly scaring his own men half to death._

" _Because they ain't beggin' for their lives."_

 _The two girls shared a worried look and gulped._

 _Steve turned back and bit his lower lip. The young blonde that lay before him, helplessly squirming on the hardwood floor, was breathtaking. Her skin was dripping with sweat. A thin layer of dirt stuck to her rosy cheeks. Bloodshot blue eyes burned with a wild fire. Her hair spread around her in perfect waves of golden blonde. She was like a real life angel._

" _Aren't you cute? Got any cute friends?"_

 _Jane stared up at the bigger man in disgust. His mess of dark brown hair, accompanied by the sweat droplets sitting comfortably in his mustache, made Jane squirm away from him._

" _You're gonna tell me where your little ragtag group is one way or another."_

 _His features up close, all the small scrapes and scars, made his muscles seem like unstoppable machines._

" _Haven't seen a woman like you in a real long time." Steve reached down to her. He pushed back some of the blonde waves from her sparkling eyes. "I really could use some company." Steve took his gaze to Lena, who still squirmed, but not as much as Jane due to her injury. "We all could."_

* * *

" _Alright, I'll give Steve the go ahead for this. Thanks." Matthew turned from the group of men and made his way back into the house. As he tossed the map on the kitchen table, he heard a commotion coming from down the hall._

" _What the-"_

 _Matthew tip toed down the hall, careful to avoid every creaky floorboard, making his way toward the living room. He found a group of men gathered just inside around some commotion that seemed to be involving his boss. He poked his head over a few shoulders just as Steve let out a loud grunt._

" _You little bitch!" Steve shook his arm wildly. Matthew saw what looked to be like a mess of blonde waves sinking her teeth into his arm. She held on with such might until Steve raised his other fist and nailed her in the jaw, eventually prying her off, but not leaving Steve unscathed. Crimson trickled from the deep teeth marks that had been carved into his skin. Matthew's eyes widened as he finally saw the face of the blonde waves._

 _Jane._

 _She moaned, her face riddled with pain, falling onto her side, huffing exhaustedly._

 _Steve growled._

" _You're a sweet lil' thing, huh?"_

 _Matthew flinched when Steve kicked his sister in the ribs. A pained yelp made his chest ache. He could see the exhaustion in her face. She was breathing heavily and sweating buckets. Her hair had fallen in her face and stuck to her skin._

" _C'mon baby, make this easy for me. Tell me what I wanna hear." He leaned down and pushed the hair back from her face once more. Steve licked his lips, taking in all of her helplessness beneath him, wanting to crush every inch of her. He wanted to make her feel far more pain than a chomp on the arm._

" _I'm not.. gonna.. I'm not tellin' you.. a-anythi- ah!" She cried, interrupted by Steve's heavy boot landing on her severely bruised ribs another time._

 _Matthew shook himself from his shocked daze. Steve's hands wrapped around Jane's throat and started to squeeze._

" _No, oh my god-" Matthew pushed through the men that crowded around the scene. Finally, he made it to Steve. Matthew threw himself over the larger man._

" _Stop! Let go, you're gonna kill her!"_

 _Matthew grabbed at Steve and managed to pry his fingers off of Jane's fragile neck. Jane had only passed out from lack of oxygen, but she was breathing so shallowly, Matthew had to lean close to her if she was taking in any air at all. Thankfully, she was, and he turned back to Steve. He was met with a face of disapproval._

" _Scott, Harry, take these two upstairs and put 'em in the holding room. Matthew, you come with me. I need a quick word with you."_

 _The young blonde boy bit his tongue. He followed his boss out of the room, but didn't look forward. All he could do was keep an eye on Jane and her partner as they were dragged up the stairs like rag dolls._

 _After night had fallen and he'd received a scolding from Steve for being disruptive and counterproductive, he rushed to the kitchen, frantically rummaging through drawers until he found what he was searching for._

 _She was alive._

 _He had to do something._

 _He couldn't lose her again._

* * *

 _Lena nudged Jane with her foot._

" _C'mon.. Wake up, dammit."_

 _Finally, Lena gave up on being gentle. She gave Jane one hard kick in the back. This jolted the girl awake, and a groan spilled from her candy colored lips. "Oh thank god." Lena sighed. Relief washed over her, but it was quickly replaced by an impatient fear. She began to think of ways they could escape from this horrid place._

" _Lena? Wha-What happened?"_

" _That Steve guy, he almost strangled you. Some other guy pulled him off of you. You've been out for a few hours. It's dark out now and we're still trapped in this god damn room."_

 _Jane huffed. She did her best to sit up. The pain that plagued her ribs was excruciating and she was positive at least a couple were broken. Her eyes darted all around the room in an attempt to find something that could save them. Anything that could get them out of here._

 _Just then, as if her prayers had been answered on the spot, something was slid under the door. A rusty broken pair of scissors slid into the middle of the room. Footsteps scrambled down the hall, followed by the slam of a door._

" _Oh my god." Jane whispered. She wormed her way towards the object. Maneuvering herself around, she grabbed the scissors behind her. Her wrists ached as she contorted them so she could slice the rope. Finally, her arms flew out and stretched up, her muscles aching. She made quick work of freeing her ankles before getting up and moving over to Lena._

 _The other girl was thanking any entity above for this, and once she was free, she hopped up and stretched. But soon, she grunted, realizing her wound was still quite fresh._

" _Forgot about that."_

 _Jane ignored Lena's comment and searched frantically around the room. This room had one window so high up, it couldn't even be reached with a boost. The only other things in the room were a large mattress and a wooden chair._

" _Wait- Lena. Do you have another hairpin?"_

 _Lena gasped and her hands flew up to her hair. She ruffled through her dark locks, and finally yanked out one last hairpin._

" _Thank fuck. Quick, pick the lock."_

 _Lena kneeled in front of the door. After a few tense minutes of fumbling with the pin, there was a click. Lena stood up and turned the knob. The door opened with ease, much to their delight, and they crouched back down, making their way out of the room._

 _Jane turned to Lena, mouthing, 'We have to find our stuff.'_

 _Lena nodded. The girls moved past rooms with ease, careful not to wake any of the sleeping men. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they came across an open door. Shelves upon shelves stocked with miscellaneous items. On the lowest shelf sat Jane and Lena's bags, their signature knife and handgun laying beside them. They gathered their items, armed themselves with a reload and a wipe of a blade, and made their way down the hall once more._

 _The two had successfully moved past every room. They were only a few feet from the stairs now. Jane made to move down onto the first step when there was a scuff of boots from just behind them. Jane and Lena turned to see a bald man staring at them. It seemed he'd just woken up and heard their barely audible footsteps._

 _Jane handed the knife to Lena and dove to the man. She clung to his neck and spun around to his back, causing him to nearly stumble. Clamping her hand over his mouth, she kept him quiet as she held him wide open for Lena. Lena sunk the knife into his stomach five times, until he finally stopped writhing in Jane's grip. He slumped against her. Jane hooked her arms under his and checked the open door behind her. Once she was sure the room was empty, she dragged him inside, then closed the door to the room, moving back to the stairs._

" _Mark?" A voice called from down the hallway._

 _Footsteps came closer._

 _Jane grabbed the knife from Lena, along with Lena's hand, and they barreled down the stairs, throwing caution to the wind. The girls ran through room after room, probably waking every sleeping man in the house, until they finally dove out the front door._

 _But, they immediately froze. Steve and another man were loading duffle bags into the bed of a pickup truck. They'd heard the barreling footsteps of the girls and they turned to stare right back at them._

 _There was a moment of dangerous silence._

 _Lena fired three bullets into the other man and he went down with ease._

 _Jane threw herself onto Steve and sunk her teeth into his shoulder. She raised her knife up high. The blade came down and lodged into Steve's abdomen. Jane twirled the blade around inside him, even curling it in different directions, before yanking it out. Quickly, she reached into the pocket of his pants. Pulling out the key to their blue SUV, she let go of him. Steve fell to the ground, screaming in excruciating pain, as the two girls made a run for it._

" _Get back.. Get back here you, you worthless little c-cunt! AGH!"_

 _Jane started the car as quickly as possible. Lena hopped in, firing bullets in the direction of the house. Loud screams could be heard. Bullets ricocheted off the car. Jane slammed her foot on the accelerator and the car took off flying. Lena fired blindly behind them a few more times until the horrible place was out of sight._

* * *

 _(_ _ **Vanishing Grace (Innocence)- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play until 'STOP.')_

 _Jane slammed on the brake. The two girls, bloody, beaten messes, ran up the small hill._

 _They came from the thick of the trees and started hollering in the dead of night._

" _GET UP! We need to get out of here now! C'mon, let's go!"_

" _Jane?" Emmett questioned sleepily. "I thought you and Lena would've stayed in the town tonight, you were gone so long."_

" _Emmett! Get up, get up!"_

 _The whole group began shoving things into the car. Whatever little items couldn't fit were tossed into the water and carried into the unknown._

 _When they finally all packed into the car and drove off, Jane stared out the back window._

 _Twin Falls became smaller and smaller in the distance. It's horrors were farther away each second, and Jane wished to never return there again._

 _But, she was forever grateful for those broken scissors._

 _(STOP MUSIC.)_

* * *

"Pretty sure that Steve dude died eventually. I'd be really surprised if he came out of that. After that, we continued just moseying along, I guess. But, we made sure to always look for supplies as a group, even if it did take longer. Lena was fine and she healed but, I couldn't be alone anymore."

Ellie let a moment of silence pass as she soaked in every detail. On one hand, she was amazed at how well Jane had handled herself. She'd proven herself capable to Ellie but, with everything going south and staring death in the face at every turn, Jane held her own better than most anyone. On the other hand, Ellie's heart ached to protect Jane from the pain she had to face. Jane was gentle and caring at heart, but the horrors of the world outside the zone hardened her, and she changed. She never even had time to mourn the people she'd lost.

 _(_ _ **Returning- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play until 'STOP.')_

Suddenly, Ellie's arms snaked around Jane's waist and pulled her into a warm hug. For a moment, she was taken aback by the affection, but she quickly melted into the other girl's form. Jane wrapped her arms around Ellie's neck. Ellie was so warm and she smelled faintly of grass and river water. Jane was so comforted, she let herself unravel.

Ellie felt Jane's frame shake a little, and the first sob of many spilled over. Right then and there, Ellie could've cried, too. As Jane's tears dampened the collar of her shirt, she felt this whirlwind of emotions, all of them jarring. She felt happy that Jane was finally safe being with Ellie and living in Jackson. Anger snuck in as she remembered what Jane went through to get here. Pity spilled over once Jane began to shake more, the two of them really thinking about how much Jane had lost. But, all Ellie could do was squeeze Jane a little tighter, and hope that she'd be a little safer in her arms.

"I'm so alone... I'm so- I'm so fucking alone." Jane whimpered. Her mind raced with the images of her past. The large hands that encased her neck seemed to take form as she sat in Ellie's care. Jane had difficulty breathing clearly due to panic settling in. Her sobs grew louder and more pained. She fisted the back of Ellie's shirt in her fragile palms.

"Wh-Why am I still alive? I-I should've died so many times like, like the fire in Portland and, and the hunters, and the fucking infected that chased me around this goddamn town!"

"Hey. Hey, look at me." Ellie encouraged.

Jane sniffled. She wiped tears from her cheeks, and pulled away from Ellie enough to see her face. Her hopeful, sweet, freckled face and green eyes that made Jane's day every moment they stared at her.

Ellie kept one hand locked onto Jane's lower back, a small smile on her face, as tears of her own began to fall.

"You're alive. And you're safe. What happened in the past, it... it doesn't matter now. All that matters is you're here, and you're not alone."

Jane giggled slightly, and used the pad of her thumb to wipe Ellie's tears. She sniffled again, "Thanks, Ellie."

 _(STOP MUSIC.)_

After a few moments, the girls had calmed.

"How about we head back before it's pitch black out, huh?" Jane suggested. Ellie agreed, and in a few moments, they were back on the horses and galloping towards Jackson, where Joel had fresh veggies and chicken waiting for them.

* * *

A/N: There ya go! This was a very long chapter. I'm excited to continue this story. Updates may take a while. I am currently very very busy!

Let me know what you thought of this chapter and what you may want to see in future chapters!

See ya!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hello! I am so sorry I haven't updated in a long time. Recently, I've been incredibly busy! But, I should be getting back into the swing of things soon. Until then, expect scattered updates.

Enjoy!

* * *

The late summer air was thick and heavy. A few grey clouds loomed over the eerily silent streets. After a week or so of the men desperately tracking that blue SUV, they'd finally struck gold only moments after entering Wyoming.

"Matt, dude!"

Matthew shook himself from his thoughts and turned to the call of his name. Dom, a man only a few years older than Matthew with scruffy brown curls and hazel eyes, sat comfortably on the hood of a blue sudan. The windshield was almost completely caved in and there was a small dent right where Dom had placed himself, as if somebody had sat there before.

"We found the car. You gonna quit daydreaming and help us find this girl or what?"

The young blonde gulped, collected himself, then nodded. He made his way to the rest of the men that surrounded the car.

Immediately, worry began to bubble deep in his stomach as he studied the condition of the SUV. He knew Jane had been in this car and the state of the vehicle was far beyond totaled. The front of the car was completely crunched up against a lamp post. The passenger side door hinge snapped and the door itself was almost ripped clean off. There were no seat belts to be found. What if Jane was sitting here? Did she get thrown from the car? Will he soon find the devoured corpse of his beloved sister? He was ashamed to say that if that were to happen, he'd feel some relief. Finally, he'd be able to live knowing she would no longer be in danger.

But, her body was nowhere to be found. Her beige knapsack was gone and no blood stained the leather interior or the pavement. So, she had to have made it out, right?

Matthew kept his thoughts to himself as he and the others began to comb through the vehicle. They found a couple knapsacks full of some food, medical supplies and a few pieces of clothing, but nothing very useful. The men deemed the car useless and began working their way around the neighborhood. They'd grown sweaty and sticky, the humidity becoming unbearable, but after some time of exploring the side streets, they came upon the bodies of Infected on the porch of a yellow house. The property was silent. Matthew took it upon himself to be the first one to walk inside, only to be met with more slaughtered Infected. He couldn't tell if it was hope or worry starting to fester at the back of his mind. Matthew searched around desperately for any clue as to where Jane could be.

"Hey, Matt?"

The young blonde turned to the curly-haired man. "Yeah?"

Dom pointed in the direction of the stairs, "There's blood going up the banister."

Slowly, the men made their way upstairs. But, as soon as they reached the top step, they all pinched their nostrils shut. A putrid odor plagued the hallway. Matthew breathed the best he could through his mouth and forced himself to be the first one walking down the hall. The smell became so strong, the other men couldn't continue. However, Dom stayed hot on Matt's heels, even when his hand wrapped around the doorknob of the last door in the hall.

Matthew pushed the door open. After one step in, he nearly fell to his knees at the horrific sight. Blood was splattered all over the walls. Unmoving bodies were sprawled everywhere, infected and human. Matthew couldn't tell if Jane had been here, until he saw the other girl. The same petite asian woman he'd seen back at the house in Twin Falls sat slumped against the wall. This was most definitely Jane's group. It seemed like they'd all escaped the crash, but then met an even worse fate at the hands of ravaging monsters. One man, a young dark-haired fellow with a humongous bite in his stomach, laid on his back in the middle of the room with a gun beside him and a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.

"I've got a real good feelin' she was here." Dom grimaced at the horrendous odor of the corpses. He took a few steps forward, knelt beside the body, and picked up the gun.

Matthew's heart started to race. If Jane's whole group was here, she was here at some point, too. But, he had to at least try to drive Dom away from that conclusion. Pushing away the intrusive thoughts of his beloved sister going through the torture of having to end her friend's life, he stepped behind Dom.

"How do you know? Not like we can find fingerprints on the gun or something."

Dom smirked, "You're right. We can't find fingerprints. But," his dirty hand picked up a single strand of hair that lay on the young man's cold and bloodied chest. Matthew was confused, until he saw how the hair shined in the sunlight that poured in from the windows. It didn't belong to this body. "Buddy boy down here doesn't look like a blonde."

A couple men hollered from downstairs for the two to hurry up, that the smell had traveled through the entire house, and they were all seconds away from hurling up what little food sat in their stomachs. Dom moved to put the gun in his bag when Matthew stopped him, volunteering to be the one to carry it. Dom shrugged, seeing it as him having to carry one less thing, and shoved the weapon deep into Matthew's bag, zipping it shut then quickly making his way back to the others.

Matthew hung back for a moment. He looked around at the lifelessness and his heart sank. The horror before him used to be Jane's safety. His chest ached knowing that the people who Jane fought so strongly for had been ripped away from her.

He prayed she was safe.

Maybe even happy.

* * *

"Jane, I'm not so sure abou-"

"Nuh-uh, you're getting your little butt in the water whether you like it or not." Jane had her fingers wrapped tightly around Ellie's wrist. The mischievous plan today was to get Ellie in the pond nearby. Much to the brunette's protest, Jane dragged her forward, a giddy smile on her candy colored lips.

"I can do water, just not deep water! I've managed with that for a long time, I think I'm fine!"

"Nonsense! Everyone needs to know how to swim. Now shut up and strip!" She laughed as they arrived at the pond. Jane turned her back to the other girl and immediately began peeling off her clothing. Ellie unhappily followed and soon, jeans, shirts, socks, and sneakers littered the ground. Jane hopped into the water excitedly while Ellie stood uncomfortably on a rock, unsure of how to get started and mildly distracted by Jane's perky, exposed skin. Jane softened when she took notice of Ellie's discomfort. She waded over to the brunette and held out a welcoming hand.

Jane smiled, "Hey, it's not that bad. Take my hand."

Ellie's eyes shifted from Jane's outstretched hand to her face. Part of her refused to give into the blonde's game and remain on this rock. But, another part of her took in Jane for the beautiful creature she is. From the scars that tainted her porcelain skin to her selfless, maternal mannerisms, Jane had unknowingly monopolized Ellie's attention since she first laid eyes on her. She looked deeply into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. Ocean irises stared back at her, beckoning her so she'd drown in them. So, she took Jane's hand and for once, stepped into the water willingly, imagining it to be irises she'd fallen for.

When Ellie's hand slid into hers, Jane was thrilled. Her heart skipped a beat, not only at the contact, but also from the sheer excitement of this new emotional intimacy. Ellie was facing a fear because Jane convinced her it was nothing to be fearful of. This newfound glee put a giddy smile on Jane's face as she walked Ellie step by step deeper into the water. The freezing liquid reached their hips when the two stopped in the middle of the pond. Rocks and soft soil tickled their feet. Jane let go of Ellie's hand and took a couple steps back.

"First, I want you to get your head wet. Just squat down for one second and pop right back up, simple as that. I'll go first."

Quickly, Jane dropped down, barely making a single splash around her. Then, she came right back up. Soaking wet hair stuck to her face and neck. The fresh water made her skin lustrous and clean. Ellie gulped. _It's only one second. That's nothing. Pull yourself together._

"You try!"

The water tickling at her thighs was unsettling. With slow and cautious steps, Ellie walked a little deeper into the water until it encased her whole lower half. Then, she pinched her nose, closed her eyes, and quickly squatted down. Seconds later, she came back up, water profusely dripping from her hair and face. Jane was there to greet her with giggles and a soaking wet hug. Ellie smiled, partially from pride in having done what she thought to be the unthinkable, but mostly from having Jane pressed against her. Heat rose to the rounds of her cheeks.

The tension was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. It filled their lungs with each breath, travelling into their chests, crawling all the way up their throats and fighting to make it through their teeth. This feeling was foreign to Jane, her chest pressed so tightly against Ellie's. Callused hands cradled her velvety hips. She'd never felt so choked up this close to someone. It boiled and bubbled and finally it spilled…

"Ellie?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I… I-I, uh-. Oh, fuck it."

Jane cupped Ellie's rosy cheeks and finally, after it had crossed her mind everyday of this boiling summer, she let their lips collide in a tender kiss.

* * *

"No, not that, dipshit. _That._ "

Dom moved Matt's gaze from an old campsite to large steel doors just past the river. They were massive, but well hidden behind an abundance of trees. Atop them were two lookout towers. Through the dirty binoculars, Matt could see armed men gazing out at the forest. He prayed they wouldn't spot him through the thick of the trees. "The girl is definitely in there."

 _(_ _ **The Last of Us (Goodnight)- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play until 'STOP.')_

Matt stood up to brush himself off. He choked out worriedly for his sister, "Are you sure? There could be nothing in there but some other hunters. This ain't our terf, Dom! What if we get there and get fuck-"

" _HEY!"_

Dom's interrupting scream was startling to Matt; so much so, he stumbled back against a tree. Dom stomped forward to the young blonde and jabbed a finger to his chest. Rage swirled around his irises. He spat, "Steve gave me two fuckin' jobs to do. First, find the girl. Second, babysit your ass. I don't know about you, but I don't fuckin' babysit. If there's a problem," Dom inched dangerously close to Matt's face, nearly spitting on him with his words. "I get rid of it. We are findin' this bitch, and I will get rid of anything that stands in my way. Got it?"

Matt gulped, took in a sharp breath, and nodded.

"Good. Get your gear and let's get back to the others."

As they trudged back to the other men in a sticky silence, Matt couldn't help but let his thoughts trail back to Jane. Matthew may have played dumb, but he wasn't stupid. He knew she had to be in those walls. There was still time. He still had time to protect her. To save her from Dom, from Steve, from a terrible fate at the hands of dirtbags.

And if there wasn't any time, he'd make some.

 _(STOP MUSIC.)_

* * *

Slowly, the girls pulled apart from one another. The tension calmed, the giddy feelings subsiding, replaced by comfort.

All through the scorching summer, Ellie's heart remained cold and isolated. But, when Jane appeared, bloodied and bruised, her heart filled with the warmest light. The world became so much more colorful and bright. This new sensation was vastly different from anything Ellie had experienced in the past. Even with Riley, she'd never felt so _right_ with someone. Jane had a whirlwind of feelings spurring, too. For the first time, she let her walls down and welcomed someone in. Since she'd lost her brother in Portland, Jane had never opened up to anyone again. She feared she'd let her guard down and they'd be ripped away from her. This feeling had only intensified when she found Emmett in his final moments. But now, here she was, not concerned in the slightest with anything besides the beautiful creature that stood before her.

"You make me feel alive."

Jane giggled, "What?"

Ellie slipped her arms around the curves of Jane's waist, "You make me feel alive. It's like life has a whole new meaning with you. It's… It's not just surviving anymore, it's living."

Jane's rosy cheeks intensified. She feared she'd start squirming from all the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.

"Don't be like that-"

"No, Jane, I'm serious. Maybe it's hope that I'd lost along the way, maybe it's just some company. But, you gave me something, and I like it."

The blonde was speechless, nearly brought to tears. She pressed her lips to Ellie's again. The kiss deepened. Jane's hand slipped into Ellie's wet locks. The brunette exhaled contently through her nose and separated from Jane's candy lips. Ellie let her lips pepper slow, sweet kisses to the supple skin of her neck.

"You're the best thing I've ever had."

* * *

A/N: Hello! An apology is definitely in order. Three months. Wow. I am very sorry. I've had an incredible amount of things on my plate recently and I've finally found the time to finish this chapter and get it up. I don't even think it's all that good, but I had some type of inspiration to write and I had to get it out there for you all. Again, I am so sorry. Updates will still take some time as I am unbelievably busy. Hopefully, they will not take this long ever again. But, in case they do, I apologize in advance.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! PLEASE leave a review and let me know what you all think!

See you in the next one!


	11. Chapter 11

HIL CH11

A/N: Hello all! As I said previously, updates will be scattered. I am about to finish my first year at college and spare time has been hard to come by. But, I haven't forgotten about this story! I'm still just as passionate about it as I was when I started. It's taking me quite some time to get all my thoughts together for it, but I've got some good stuff planned for this!

Enjoy!

Edit: This chapter has been deleted, revised, and reuploaded as it was brought to my attention that it was very out of character for Ellie in it's original state. I have since altered it to cater to Ellie's true nature more effectively! Let me know how I did!

* * *

The nature that encompassed Jackson had slowly begun to turn from a boiling summer to a cool autumn. Once green trees now donned a warm red. The air was crisp, cool, graceful, and kind to the skin it brushed against. Jane felt the breeze blow threw her sweater and tickle her all over. It was so much more pleasant than the scorching heat of the summer and made outside activities far easier to accomplish. Jane stepped through the door frame and closed the door behind her, turning to face Joel and Tommy as they talked at the foot of the front steps.

"I'm getting a little worried about Ellie. Can I take a horse and see if I can tag along on her outing, Tommy?" Jane bit her lower lip. Ellie had left on horseback a few hours ago to see about gathering more firewood. With the brunette's pride standing in the way, she politely declined Jane's assistance on her trip out and kissed her goodbye. But, the afternoon was dwindling along with sunlight, the sun gradually laying to rest past the horizon. Jane grew worried when Ellie still hadn't returned. She knew the brunette was capable but, something gnawed at the back of her mind to just make sure. Just incase.

"Sure, honey. Take Dakota." Tommy agreed. As Jane thanked him and walked towards the horses, she gave a subtle nod to Joel in passing, noting the appreciation that graced his face. Joel saw Ellie capable also, but he valued Jane's care for the girl that had become his entire world. The blonde was a healthy presence for those around her. She put others before herself. But, as admirable as her selflessness was, it was dangerous in this world.

* * *

"Fuckin' leaves…" Ellie grumbled. She kicked through the piles of red and orange leaves that littered the forest floor and collected more thick branches. Her backpack was stuffed with any bits of broken tree or wood that she could find. After so many hours of scrounging up what she could, Ellie shoved the last few sticks in and began to make her way back to Jackson. But, something caught her attention. There was a low hum through the thick of the trees. Footsteps that crunched branches grew louder. Ellie knew it was time to make herself scarce, but she couldn't help but overhear what she eventually made out to be the chatter of stray men. She dove behind a gathering of rocks and remained incredibly still. The chatter came closer, but the footsteps seemed to speed up, as if the people they belonged to suddenly grew more panicked.. Ellie could finally make out the grumbled conversation through the leaves. She concealed herself completely as the crunching became louder and closer.

"I saw her, I fuckin' saw her. She's right around here…" A dark-haired man gruffed. He reloaded his pistol and slowed up as he approached a clearing in the gathering of trees, crouching behind bushes. A younger man with wavy blonde hair quickly followed suit, concealing himself behind the bushes, while the dark-haired man scanned the wooded area before them. "Steve better appreciate all we're doin' here. Takin' too long to find this brat."

Ellie perked up at the mention of 'Steve.' She'd heard that name somewhere, somewhere important.

The blonde man looked at the ground. Ellie noticed his face enveloped in some sort of pain. Something like regret, maybe shame. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. Ellie had a suspicion these men weren't looking for a lover or a group member. With the look of hunger and determination in the armed one's eyes, they were on a hunt. Dogs following a scent, predator pursuing prey, Ellie wasn't too sure about blondie. But, the dark-haired one wouldn't leave without his prize for Steve.

 _Oh, fuck. Jane. Jane told me about Steve. They're hunting her._

These panicked thoughts rattled around in her brain. The man that had captured Jane and nearly choked her to death, beat her to a pulp, that Jane ruthlessly stabbed and escaped by the skin of her teeth from. He'd sent his goons after her. A sick feeling bubbled in the pit of her stomach.

But, Jane was inside in the walls. She was safe with Joel, Tommy, Maria, and everyone else looking out for her. Even with the raids and some dodgy security, Jackson kept Jane well protected.

"Ellie?! Ellie, are you out here?!"

In an instant, Ellie's stomach was aching with sheer panic. It couldn't be. It couldn't possibly be. She was supposed to be safe from harm in Jackson. How could she have possibly gotten out? But, sure enough, Ellie peered out from behind the gathering of rocks and there was Jane, sitting atop a dark brown horse, her eyes gazing over the wooded area that surrounded her, trying to spot her lover in the shadows that the sunset created.

* * *

As he heard his sister's sweet voice call for a name he hadn't recognized, Matthew's heart sank. He hoped he and Dom wouldn't find her, that there would be nothing to bring home to Steve, that this whole journey they were sent on would finally be put behind them when Steve could look past his pride and move on. Now more than ever, he questioned why he hesitated to pull the trigger in Portland. When he came upon their burning building, he shouldn't have even attempted to grab the searing door handle. Instead, he should've ended his life on the doorstep and let himself believe that the flames swallowed up his beloved sister, and she'd finally found peace away from this horrific world.

 _ **BANG! BANG!**_

Matthew realized he had become too consumed in his thoughts of what he wished rather than what is, being ripped from them by the sound of Dom's pistol. The bloodcurdling scream that spilled from Jane's velvety lips tore through their eardrums. Both Matt and Dom looked down after a 'thud' sounded.

A smirk played on Dom's wicked face as the frightened horse galloped away. He drank up the sight of the little blonde pest writhing in agony on the forest floor. Lodging into her stomach at near lightning speed, the bullets tore through Jane's skin ferociously. Blood poured rapidly from the throbbing wounds, the crimson liquid staining her sweater.

"I got her! C'mon!" Dom called out to Matthew in a giddy tone while shoving his pistol away. He dragged the blonde down through the trees and rocks that blocked them from his prize. Through all of this, Matthew felt like he'd hurl up what little food he had left in his stomach at any moment. He'd never been so repulsed by himself. Hunting his own sister? And for what? To live under the thumb of a haughty brute that struck fear in everyone he came across? If his parents had made it through the horrors of the QZ, he couldn't imagine how disgusted they'd be with him. Seeing his sister lying there, bleeding to death because of his cowardice to stand up to this disgusting monster. He had to do something, anything, even if it meant sacrificing himself in the process. Whatever he could do to protect Jane, the only person who ever truly stood by him through thick and thin, he had to do. As family, he owed that much to her.

But, what to do? How could he divert Dom's attention? He couldn't just up and fight him. Dom would take him out in an instant without batting an eye, leaving Jane defenseless.

All of a sudden, a new voice broke through the chilly autumn air. It rang with anger, fear, and anguish.

" _JANE!"_

* * *

The force of Ellie's own voice scratched at her throat while fear coursed through her veins. It wasn't for herself, but for Jane. She dove over the rocks that concealed her and tackled the two men that had their eyes set on their target. With all the might she could muster, she kicked the blonde in his ribs, sending him rolling a few feet away as he groaned at the stinging pain that was sure to bruise.

The dark-haired man underneath her grunted and flipped over. This tossed Ellie off of him onto her back with a hefty grunt. In the time it took for him to regain his composure from the jarring tackle and get up, Ellie was able to equip a knife, still eyeballing Jane who lay only a few feet away, sputtering up blood, her wound growing worse by the second.

"Doing things the hard way, huh? Alright, sweet thing, I'll bite." The brute, ready for a fight, stood his ground, rusty switchblade in hand, "but don't be mad if I kill ya."

Waving the knife around wildly, he lunged towards Ellie, who skillfully hopped up and dodged out of the way. In her movements, she maneuvered her arm in a manner that allowed her a swift slash to his hip. He stumbled at this, but did not let it deter him greatly, and went after Ellie yet again, even more viciously now. Ellie dodged his advances for the most part, landing herself a few jabs here and there. She expected him to eventually grow tired and turn to his lankier friend for assistance. But, the blonde didn't even try to help, and that's when Ellie finally decided to look back over at Jane once more.

He had his arms hooked under Jane's back and legs. He was trying to lift her from her pool of blood without compromising any major wounds. In the stillness of the moment, Ellie could make out the soft apologies he whispered to her through panicked breaths.

" _Stay with me, Jane. I'm so sorry about all of this, I'm so sorry. I made a mistake, but I'm gonna get you out of here, I promise. Stay with me, sweet girl, don't close your eyes, please don't close them…"_

"Ellie…" Jane whimpered through shallow breaths.

Ellie's nostrils flared in a huff of rage; rage from the thought of someone trying to take Jane once again, unknown and untrusted hands touching her, possibly being placed in harm's way when Ellie works like no other to keep her safe. She dodged another swipe of the dark-haired man's blade and growled.

Suddenly, Ellie's green eyes darkened with determination. She hopped out of his path as he charged at her and met his back with her foot. With great force, she kicked him to the ground, sat on his back so as to pin him in this spot, and tangled her fingers in his curly locks, yanking his head up and placing her lustrous blade at his throat.

She swiped the blade across his jugular, watching him sputter and paint the grass with his blood before getting off of his twitching corpse and turning to her main focus; blondie holding Jane dearly to him.

Quickly, Ellie whipped out her handgun and pointed the barrel at the young man's head, "Put her down and step away."

He gulped and squeezed the near unconscious Jane to his chest, "You don't understand, I'm trying to-"

"There's nothing to fucking understand! Put her down before I blow your fucking brains out!" Ellie snapped. She raised her gun to aim even more precisely between the young man's eyes.

Matthew's gaze moved from the armed girl before him to his precious sister pressed against him. Her blood had begun to stain his shirt that daunting red. She twitched in his arms from the throbbing pain that riddled her body. In this moment, for the sake of his sister, he knew it would be best to comply.

"Okay, okay. I-I'm gonna set her on the ground, but only if you let me explain myself."

"Not how this wor-"

"I said, _let me explain!_ " He hollered as he stared at Ellie with a glossy seriousness veiling his eyes.

Ellie huffed, "Fine."

Matthew held Jane closer to him, no longer caring how soaked in blood his shirt had become, "I've been looking for her for a while. All I want is for her to be safe and smiling. Steve wants her for vengeful, disgusting reasons. And no matter how in debt I am to him for saving me from the QZ, if you can even call it saving, I can't let anything happen to her," He took in a sharp breath and looked down lovingly.

"She's my flesh and blood."

Ellie's brows furrowed, "What?"

"I'm Matthew, Jane's brother."

"That's impossible, Jane's brother died in the fire in Portland!"

"I was out on a job and heading back when the whole city burst into flames. I thought she died in the fire until Steve was choking the life out of her back in Twin Falls."

"If you're really her brother, what were your parent's names?"

Matthew sighed, not wanting to think about the grim fate of his precious parents, but answering, "Sophia and Allen. Are we gonna keep talking or are we going to save my sister from bleeding out?"

Ellie nibbled her lower lip, motioning with the barrel of her gun for Matthew to set Jane down. As soon as Jane was flat on the grass and Matthew had stepped back a few feet, Ellie dashed over to her. The motions brought Jane to full consciousness, the pain hitting her at full force yet again, causing her to scream and squirm. The wounds were worse than they looked. Jane's usual tan, dewy complexion was now a pale porcelain color, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, the beads trickling down the side of her face. Her sparkling blue eyes glowed with fright. A pool of her own blood began to form as it slipped past her palms that so desperately tried to cover the split skin. Ellie slipped her weapon into her pants and pressed her palms over top of Jane's.

"Jane, you've gotta stop moving. You're only making it worse."

All Ellie received in response was a pained groan as Jane arched her back, whimpering from the sheer pain that tore through her.

Ellie looked back at Matthew expectantly, "Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna help me carry her?"

Matthew bit his lower lip and took a few careful steps towards Jane, then knelt down beside her.

"Matt?" Jane whispered, "Y-You're alive?" Even these few small sentences were too much for Jane to bear and she began spitting up blood. So much of it dribbled down her chin. The shooting pain ravaged her body.

Being ever so gentle, Matthew wiped the blood from her lips with his sleeve, "Yes, Jane. I'm here, sweet girl. No more talking, you're hurt pretty bad. But, Ellie, is it? Ellie and I are gonna get you to safety."

"The hell you are." A deep, scolding voice emerged from the trees.

Ellie whipped around, prepared to spray down the bastard that dare threaten them, only to be met with multiple gun barrels pointed directly at her head.

"Why don't you go back to where you came from and let the men handle this one, sweetheart?" One of the six men that faced them said in a sickeningly sweet tone to Ellie.

"Over my dead fucking body."

"That can be arranged." Another grumbled.

"Easy, man, easy. We can't just spray them down. I'm sure Steve would love to have a chat with brother dearest over here." A third man piped up. He eyed Matthew strangely, a hint of blood lust aimed towards the young blonde.

"You've got a point."

"Fuck this, you buncha' pansies." A fourth man chimed in.

 _ **BANG! BANG!**_

Ellie's gut-wrenching scream tore through every eardrum. She landed on her back with a thud, her gun flopping a few feet away. The two wounds in her thigh gushed blood fiercely as she clutched her throbbing leg. This pain plaguing her leg was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Clenching her jaw tightly, she whimpered painfully through her teeth, "F-Fuck…".

The barrel of a gun had its sights set on Matthew. He raised his hands up quickly to surrender, not wanting to risk getting shot and no longer being able to help his sister.

"Unless you want the same thing to happen to you, you pick up your blonde brat and come with us. Don't pull any shit. I ain't afraid to blow your fuckin' brains out, Matt."

Matthew gulped and obeyed. Bending down, he lifted his sister cautiously so as to not aggravate her wounds any further. He winced at the sound of Ellie's pained groans. No matter how desperately he wanted to help, he couldn't risk his innocent sister's life. So, he turned and began walking quickly with the group of men who were once his supposed "comrades" that now stared him down with a sick bloodlust in their eyes.

 _ **(All Gone (Aftermath)- Gustavo Santaolalla.**_ _Play until the end of the chapter.)_

Ellie's vision, though alert and comprehending, began to grow fuzzy. The group of figures became smaller and smaller as they walked into the setting sun that turned the horizon a deep red. She lifted a bloodied palm and reached out for her gun desperately. But, her efforts were in vain, for it had fallen too far.

Jane grew further away.

"Jane…" Ellie groaned.

Further…

"Don't take her. Jane!"

Further…

"Come back!"

And then, the horizon's glow engulfed them, and Jane was gone.

" _JANE!"_

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It took me quite some time to properly construct. Thankfully, I've finally finished it for you all. I'm excited for the progression of this story! We've come so far already and there's so much more left! A very helpful review allowed me to better my writing and this story line. So, I encourage you to leave me reviews! Tell me what you think!

See you in the next one!


	12. Chapter 12

Twin Falls was swallowed by a storm. The streets looked like rivers as water roared mercilessly over the concrete. Matthew could barely keep his eyes open as he carried Jane from the door of the all-too-familiar house to the freezing basement. Dark smears stained the concrete floor. The room reeked of death. He remembered the first time he'd been down here.

* * *

" _Matt."_

 _Matthew turned his head to Dom. Dom held a bucket of water with rags hung over the edge._

" _Go scrub the basement. It's getting pretty bad down there." Dom plopped the bucket on the floor and strolled out the front door._

 _Matthew sighed and got up from his place at the couch, where he was wrapping glass shards in rags to form makeshift daggers. He picked up the bucket of soapy liquid and opened the door to the basement. He'd never been down there before. It was so dark, one wrong step and he'd be a goner. Once he closed the door behind him and reached the bottom of the stairs, his free hand flew to the wall to keep him from stumbling back in shock._

 _Three bodies lay side by side. It was a family. A father, a mother, and their daughter. The child looked to be no older than twelve. Their blood splattered all over the ground around them and pooled under their heads, the source being large slices across their throats. Their lives had been stolen with one quick swipe of a knife, just like that. But even worse was the stench coming from the fly-littered corpses. They must have been sitting here for a few days._

 _The young blonde dropped to his knees and retched._

* * *

He was never able to unsee that family's dead eyes staring him down. Matthew looked around for something he could lay Jane on. The thought of laying his sister on that revolting concrete made his stomach turn.

Jane whimpered, "Ellie…"

"Ssh, Jane. I'm gonna try to fix you up." In a panic, he sat down on the floor and held Jane in his lap, then slipped off his denim jacket. He set it down on the least filthy spot he could find and laid Jane on top of it. She'd regained consciousness in only a couple hours. Absolutely baffling.

"Where's Ell- _ugh!_ " Jane groaned and clutched her stomach.

"Stay still, dammit! You get shot and you can't even stay put for two seconds," Matthew said. He slipped Jane's beige knapsack off her back. There was a clean hole through the canvas material. Matthew's eyes widened and he breathed a sigh of relief, "It went through. Thank fuck, it went through. Oh my god…" He began to rummage through the contents of her bag.

"Matthew? Shit… You-You're alive?" Jane's nails dug into the fabric of her sweater. Bullets of sweat rolled off her forehead. Her body shook as she took fast and heavy breaths. The hysteria bottling up inside of her was ready to boil over. A blinding wave of pain clouded her vision and her head fell to the floor.

"Yes, I'm alive, but that's not important right now. What's important is getting you stitched up." Matthew lifted Jane's top up to her chest. He pulled out a spare rag and a clear bottle of rubbing alcohol. There was only a splash left at the bottom, but it was enough to help Jane for the time being. He doused the rag in the liquid and hissed as it seeped into the open scratches that littered his palms.

"N-Not important? Are you fucking kidding? You've been ali- _fuck!_ " Matthew pressed the rag to Jane's open wound. She hollered at the stinging sensation until her brother's hand came over her mouth. Matthew's eyes pleaded with her. "You've got to keep it down. If Steve knows you're awake, he'll come down here. He wants you dead."

Jane gulped back her groans when she heard that all-too-familiar name. She knew this stench; it wafted up to her and Lena so long ago when they escaped by the skin of their teeth. Matthew had been here all this time? How hadn't she seen him when she was held prisoner? Why was he working with them? It appalled Jane that he'd grouped himself with these barbarians. "You've been alive this whole time? With these assholes?" Jane whispered harshly through gritted teeth. She kept her pale hand, sweaty and trembling, locked tightly around her brother's wrist as he tended to her wound.

Matthew searched through the bag once again until he pulled out a suture kit, "You've gotta be shitting me, you're ready for anything, huh?" Ignoring Jane's hisses, he went to work again, but Jane wasn't ready to put this off. After all this time, she deserved a straight answer. Then suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

"Did you shoot me?"

"What?"

* * *

"Ellie, for god's sake, hold still!" Maria grunted. She wiggled a set of tweezers around in Ellie's wound until she finally tapped what she was looking for. Ellie bit down fiercely on the rag between her pearly whites. The beads of sweat that rolled down the side of her face mixed with tears on her cheeks. Joel held a tight grip on her elbows to keep her in place in the steel chair. It killed him to see her have to go through this pain. But, though he sympathized with her, he couldn't help but let accusatory thoughts fester in the back of his mind. It pained him to harbor these thoughts, but they were more honest than sympathy could ever be.

After what felt like hours, Maria pulled out an intact bullet from Ellie's wound. Ellie's vision was so blinded by the searing pain of the tweezers that she hardly registered Maria tending to the wound with sutures. Joel's voice eventually brought her back to full consciousness, grounding her. The older man took a damp cloth and pressed it to Ellie's forehead, "You're a drama queen, ya know that, kiddo?" He brushed back some of her sweat-soaked baby hairs.

"Please, I'm not nearly as dramatic as you." Ellie chuckled. She closed her eyes as the moisture from the cloth cooled her burning skin. Even though the bullet had been removed, her skin felt ablaze. Every hair stood on end, and she became painfully aware of the aches that plagued her body.

"Don't move a muscle, I'm going to get a fresh roll of bandages." Maria excused herself. The atmosphere was heavy. It weighed down Joel's shoulders as he slumped in the chair across from Ellie. He was worried sick about her, and for good reason. She looked like a wreck. Her clothing was coated in layers of dirt, blood, and sweat. Dark circles under her eyes made her look so tired. _When was the last time she'd slept? Ate? Bathed?_

Ellie focused on Joel's boots. She stuck her tongue in her cheek after she gulped, "You don't have to say it."

Joel's ears perked up at this. Had he made it too obvious? How had she picked up on these thoughts he was so ashamed of?

"It's my fault. I know it is. I was pushing my luck by taking so long. None of this would've happened if I had come back sooner. I'm sorry."

"No," Joel set his face in his palms and sighed through the cracks between his skin. He was wrong. She wasn't the one at fault here. "Yeah, you could've come back sooner, but how many times have I been out longer than you thought I'd be? None of this would've happened if you hadn't brought back Jane that day. But, if you hadn't, she could've been torn to shreds by a clicker or worse, run into one of those fuckin' hunters by herself. You saved her life."

Ellie squeezed her eyes shut. Her stomach turned from the emotions weighing down on her, "Jane still went out. She got shot, Joel. Right in front of me," She laid her forehead on the wooden table and sniffled. "I'm covered in her blood. She bled everywhere. I don't even know if she's still alive. I've told her so many times not to follow me, not to look for me, not to come get me when I go outside the walls. It's my fault this happened." Ellie's shoulders shook as her body rattled with sobs. "She could be dead and I'm sitting here like an idiot with a fucked up leg and it's all my fault. All my fucking fault…"

Joel gulped and rested his palm on Ellie's shoulder, to which she quickly pulled back from like he'd raised his hand at her. This guilt was eating away at him. He couldn't put her through this pain. There were lessons to be learned, yes, but this was cruel.

"I let Jane leave."

"What?"

* * *

Maria held the roll of fresh bandages in her dirty palms. She used her free hand to knock on the door of the main generator house for the dam. Her heart ached for Ellie. The physical pain she endured was brutal enough, but to have Jane ripped away from her by brutes driven by bloodlust, Jane's own brother who seemingly came up from the woodwork, must've been traumatic.

A minute went by until the door finally swung open. Tommy's scruffy face greeted Maria with a sad smile. He had a rag in his hands, wiping off grime and dirt from the day's work, "I know what you're thinkin'. The answer is no."

Maria huffed, "Tommy, we've gotta find Jane. She's dying in the hands of people that want her to suffer."

"Well, that's really fuckin' sad, Maria. But I am not sending a bunch of my men to get slaughtered. We can hold our own here but we've got no idea how many of those assholes there are." Tommy turned and began to walk away from his wife. Maria followed after him with fury burning in her eyes.

"So we just leave Jane out there to die? Ellie nearly died for nothing? That's what you're saying?"

"Ellie nearly died because she made the choice to bring that damn girl here in the first place." Tommy sighed. He sat on the edge of a rusty steel table and pinched the bridge of his nose. A rather strong headache was coming on.

"Do you even hear yourself? Ellie has risked her life so many times for you. How many supply runs has she done? Raids has she handled? Infected she's taken out? All to protect this fucking camp. To protect you, me, Joel, and every man, woman, child, and animal we call our own."

"We all do our part to make this place safe. Doesn't mean we have to stick our necks out when one damn girl we just met gets got. That's a god damn suicide mission, Maria." Maria grumbled under her breath at her husband's priorities. She couldn't believe he was leaving Jane to the wolves like this.

Tommy leaned forward, "Got somethin' to say?"

The blonde woman spun around and poked a finger against his chest. Her eyes held a ferociously maternal glow. Tommy didn't realize how deeply Maria had come to care for Jane.

"She ain't some damn girl, some hussy shacking up with us until she finds something better to do. She cooks, she cleans, she keeps us all happy and hopeful. That _girl_ is the brightest soul we've had here in a long time," she lowered her arms and took a few steps back. "And her name is Jane, don't you forget it. She loves Ellie and Ellie loves her. If you and your men ain't gonna go out there, I will." Maria turned just as she was about to disappear through the doorway.

"I can't believe you. Turning your back on family. Ellie may not be blood, but she runs just as deep in my veins. I thought it was the same for you. Guess I was wrong."

With that, she was gone.

And the hole in Tommy's heart grew even bigger.


	13. Chapter 13

**WARNING** : This chapter contains _**content regarding sexual abuse**_. If you are sensitive to this sort of content, please skip over it! I will make clear indications as to when it begins and ends with trigger warnings.

Thank you!

* * *

A week dragged by at an agonizing rate. Ellie had finally regained some of the strength in her leg. She was able to limp from point A to point B if need be, but Joel did his best to have her stay put. It was annoying to have to chase her around like a toddler running from time-out, but her determination to heal was admirable. Though, Joel knew she didn't have her own best interests in mind, rather, she put Jane first. Ellie refused to think of the possibility that Jane was dead. This was the most she'd had to hold onto in a long time. Jane gave Ellie something to fight for. Ellie always found something to fight for.

Maria ignored Tommy for almost the entirety of the week. Besides some small exchanges here and there, it was almost as if he were a stranger to her. This hit Tommy hard. He knew Maria was right. At the very least, they owe this to Ellie, and Jane too. Both of the girls had done a lot for Jackson. To abandon them when they needed help most would go against the values Maria and her father built the place on.

Maria was mere hours away from shoving out to find Jane when Tommy caught her wrist.

She snatched it back, "I'm gonna find her and you aren't gonna stop me, Tommy."

"I know," Tommy sighed. "I'm not trying to stop you."

Maria's expression softened slightly, "You're not?"

Tommy shook his head, "No, and if you'd've stopped being so stubborn, I woulda' told you yesterday that you're right. We owe it to them. I owe it to them." He pulled his wife into a tight hug, stroking her hair and whispering, "They're family."

Maria nuzzled into the coziness of her husband's jacket. His scent of pine trees and crisp air calmed her.

"We've gotta go now. It's been a week since her capture."

Tommy pulled back and cupped her face, "We'll fight like she's alive, but I need you to be ready for the possibility that she isn't. Ellie's also gotta be ready for that, god forbid its true." It hurt Tommy to think of something so terrible, to consider that heartbreaking reality that Jane was no longer with them, but to even have a chance of making it out of this, they had to be ready for anything.

Maria placed her hands over her husband's and nodded, "You gotta tell Joel."

* * *

"Absolutely not."

"Joel, it's Jane for god's sake. Ellie needs to be there when we find her," Tommy pleaded with his brother. "It wouldn't be right without her."

"I don't give a damn what's right. She got shot in the leg a week ago and you wanna shove off with her to fuckin' Idaho? You're insane!" Joel turned his back on Tommy and began stomping off.

"No, he's not." A new voice piped up from behind Tommy.

Both men turned to see Ellie limping toward them. Some of the rocks beneath her feet stunted her movement, but she'd made it within earshot. Over the past week, Ellie took much better care of herself. She ate, slept, exercised, and never pushed herself too hard. To ever come close to saving Jane, Ellie had to be in tip-top shape herself, or at least something close to it. It angered her to hear Joel treat her like she was completely incapable of holding her own. Shit happens, but nothing has taken her down yet, and she wasn't going to let Joel's stubborn protectiveness get in the way of getting Jane back.

"After everything, there's no way in hell we're leaving her out there. You're the one that let her go in the first place. I'm going out there and I'm coming back with Jane. When we find her, I want to be the first hopeful face she sees, because we are going to find her. Alive," Ellie huffed. "I'm perfectly fine to go. If you don't want to come, that's your decision. But don't play with my life like you're a fucking card dealer, Joel. I'd risk anything for Jane." She turned and straightened her posture. Before slowly walking away, she turned her head back to Joel. He pursed his lips.

"She'd do the same for us."

* * *

Matthew gulped and turned on his heels for what felt like the millionth time that night. Since he'd returned with his sister and been able to patch her up, he'd been barred from seeing her. Their last conversation was a painful argument. Matthew did his best to explain how he wasn't the one to pull the trigger, that he'd slipped the broken scissors under the door to her and Lena, that he stopped Steve from choking her to death, but Jane was having none of it. She was already appalled that even after finding out she was alive, he chose to remain with these horrific people, that he even shacked up with them in the first place. To find out that her brother allowed her to be shot shattered Jane. She didn't recognize the person Matthew had become.

His former "friends", now turned guards, kept him locked in the room they held Jane and her friend in many months ago. Once a day, the door would open to give him nourishment of some sort. Bread, water, maybe some fruit if he was lucky, but none of that mattered. All he could do was pace and think. Think, think, think about what could be happening to Jane right now. He heard no screaming that entire week, and she wasn't dead yet. If Steve was ready to kill her, he would make a show out of it.

That's what this whole thing was: A show.

Steve's masculinity, the only thing he had left to truly take pride in, was challenged by Jane. She disrespected him in front of the "empire" he'd built through raw strength and dominance. It disgusted and perplexed Matthew. But, Steve had nothing better to do but divide and conquer. It's no wonder scum like him would be unnecessarily cruel to innocent people like that poor family, slaughtered like pigs.

* * *

Jane sniffled and shivered on the concrete floor of the basement. For days, she sat here with little to no food and barely enough water to keep her awake. The undernourishment had her so dazed, she couldn't keep track of how long she'd been down here. Only a couple of thoughts sat in her mind. They were heavy like cinder block, loud like a siren.

She harbored regret for how she acted towards her brother the last time they spoke. On multiple occasions, Matthew saved her life while maintaining his own. And back in Portland, when all hell broke loose, he thought he'd lost her to the flames. He probably got scooped up with these horrific men out of pure survival and shock. How could she blame him for that? Jane was disgusted with herself. It made her cower further inward.

Most of all, she missed Ellie. She yearned to hear her voice, stare into her eyes, feel her touch. That's what she missed most of all. The electric feeling when Ellie's skin touched hers. Jane ached for the quiet nights spent alone in their room. They'd talk for hours about what life may have been like before the world damned itself. Lives they wished to live would forever be dreams to them. All they had were dreams and each other.

Jane clenched her eyes shut to keep tears from spilling over. She missed Ellie so much.

Her thoughts were so consuming she didn't even hear the booming footsteps coming down the rickety stairs. All of the sudden, a harsh kick was delivered to her spine. She yelped out, but her throat was so dry, it came out as a pained wheeze.

A sinister chuckle invaded Jane's ears, "Thirsty?" The voice was husky and unfamiliar. Jane rolled onto her back and squinted her crusting eyes to get a better look at who it belonged to.

Staring down at her was a decently fit young man with shaggy, medium brown waves atop his head. His eyes were so dark and pupils so dilated, they looked black. His muscles were harrowingly defined under a grey t-shirt. Blue jeans tucked into heavy combat boots completed his look and added to his overall eerie demeanor. However, what really brought it all together, was his sharp canines he showed off with his hungry grin. He looked like a monster ready to feast.

 _ **(*TRIGGER WARNING BEGINS*)**_

"Don't worry, sweetheart. You won't be thirsty for much longer." Then, he made his move and pounced on her. Jane began squirming away. She kicked and punched with all her might, but as strong as she was, he was even stronger.

"Get away from me, you creep! Don't touch me or I swear, I'll-" He cut her sentence short by pinning her to the floor with a hand around her throat. His greedy eyes gave her a once-over, "You'll what, bitch? What're you gonna do, huh? Gonna slice me up with this little thing like you did Steve?" The boy pulled out Jane's knife, the very same one given to her by Matthew. She hadn't even known it was taken from her.

He used one arm to pin her down and hold the knife to her throat and the other to roam every inch of her body. Licking his lips like a starved animal, he began to fiddle with the zipper of his jeans. At the sight of this, Jane began squirming even more viciously. The knife scratched her throat, but she didn't care; she needed to get as far away from this bastard as possible.

 _(Play_ _ **(All Gone (Partners) - Gustavo Santaolalla)**_ _until end of chapter.)_

The boy swiped the knife across her shoulder, prompting another wheeze from Jane, cutting open her sweater and drawing blood, then discarded the weapon by chucking it across the room. It landed with a clatter on the cement floor. Jane somehow moistened her throat enough to begin screaming wildly.

"No! No, get the hell away from me!" She rolled onto her stomach and tried to crawl away, but he yanked her back by her ankles, pulling her pants down past her bum in the process.

"Stay still or it'll only get worse." The boy growled into Jane's ear. He pressed his exposed member against the fabric of her underwear. Jane whimpered at the feeling. Her protests only grew stronger once he tore off that final layer of protection. But with each squirm, she was only met with his weight pushing down harder on her. It got to the point where he was pressing her so tightly against the floor, she could hardly breathe.

"P-Please… Please don't do this. Please, I-I'm begging you."

And then, she felt it.

A foreign sensation between her legs. It hurt like hell, like her bones were being rearranged. It was painful and frightening. It only got worse as the boy's hands came firmly around her hips and pulled her further into him. The stinging feeling grew stronger. Tears began rolling down Jane's cheeks. This kind of pain, one of complete violation and indecency, was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. She'd been beaten, stabbed, shot, but nothing could compare to the hurt this caused.

She tried to reach back to hit the boy, to deter him in any way she could, but her efforts were thwarted when he used one arm to hook both of hers behind her back and press the side of her face against the concrete. It completely immobilized her. He pulled her up so her back was flush against his chest. His chapped lips came down on her bleeding shoulder. Jane had almost forgotten completely about the slash to her skin until he sunk his razor sharp canines into her tender flesh. At this, she shrieked and writhed in pain.

"Stop it! Stop it, please, you're hurting me! Stop!"

A few moments passed by until it was finally over. When his contact was removed from her completely, she looked down at the floor, feeling fluids soak her knees. It was a mixture of sticky substances and blood. She quickly pulled up her underwear and pants and curled up into a ball. The tears wouldn't stop coming, no matter how furiously she wiped them away.

 _ **(*TRIGGER WARNING ENDS*)**_

The boy finished redressing himself and moved for the stairs, "You're lucky it wasn't Steve. But, he'll probably want to chat with you soon, sweetheart." He shot Jane a quick wink, as if she was supposed to be flattered by what he just did to her, "Let him know how Justin treated you, yeah?" Finally, he left the basement, leaving Jane quivering in a dark corner, with irreversible damage swimming in her thoughts.

She sobbed into her knees and rocked back and forth.

" _Ellie… Ellie, where are you?"_

* * *

(A/N: Hello! This chapter was extremely difficult to write, but I'm very proud of it. I apologize that it takes me so long to write and update, but hey, education comes first! I hope you enjoyed and I've still got some good stuff planned for this story, so stay tuned. See you in the next one!)

 _ **You're not alone. If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence and is seeking free, confidential, 24/7 support, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at:**_

 _ **1-800-656-4673**_


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